Saturday, February 29, 2020
San Francisco tourism witnessed a record in 2019 with its 10th straight year of growth; however, major travel disruptions related to the corona virus scare could dampen this year.
The number of business and leisure visitors went up 1.4% to 26.2 million, and spending went up 2.7% to $10.2 billion from the year before, according to a report by San Francisco Travel, the city’s tourism bureau. Tourism is San Francisco’s biggest private industry supporting 86,111 jobs, according to the bureau.
“Overall, 2019 was another great year. Internationally, the evolving corona virus situation and other market conditions make 2020 a difficult year to project,” said Joe D’Alessandro, the CEO of San Francisco Travel.
San Francisco Travel doesn’t have any estimates on how corona virus will affect business this year.
“It’s so volatile, and it’s changing on a daily basis,” D’Alessandro said in an interview. “There’s a lot more questions than answers.”
In spite of challenges like rising homelessness and expensive hotels, sites like the Golden Gate Bridge and Ferry Building are attracting visitors.
