More and more conferences, conventions and trade shows are bringing their business to San Diego.
Convention center bookings and convention-related hotel bookings in 2015 fiscal year reached a 10-year-high, according to new numbers released Wednesday.
The Convention Center, which hosts the popular “Comic-Con” each year, booked 57 events this year that will take place from 2016 to 2033, said San Diego City Councilmember Todd Gloria, which will generate $30 million in hotel tax revenue. The short-term sales team booked 1,047,029 convention center and trade show-related hotel nights.
The tax money generated from those bookings goes toward paying police officers and paving new roads, Gloria said at the press conference.
As a result, $1.9 billion will be pumped into the region’s economy, tourism officials said.
Officials from the Tourism Authority said the convention center was frequently booked for technology and medical industry events, highlighting the need for the center’s expansion.
One cardiology convention in particular was too large to fit in the center and had to leave.
Local
“So they made a tough decision to go to New Orleans in 2019 rather than come to San Diego,” said Joe Terzi with the San Diego Tourism Authority. “And that economic impact for that one convention was almost $114 million.”
San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer has asked for a study on how to fund a convention center expansion which could be completed by next summer.
Last year, nearly 800,000 convention attendees brought in more than $1.3 billion in economic impact.
