Longer Visits, More Spending Boost January Tourism Figures

Tourism in January was up over the same month last year, and visitors to the city are staying longer and spending more money, according to a report issued by the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Despite colder-than-average weather, more than 1.8 million people visited San Diego in January, a 2.5% increase over last year. The big gain, however, was in tourist spending, which was up by almost 11%, a jump that bureau officials attributed to a corresponding increase in the length of the average visit.

But while the Convention and Visitors Bureau was elated at the increase, bureau officials were hard-pressed to explain it.

“This was a bit surprising,” said Al Reese, the bureau’s director of public affairs. “The bottom line is we don’t have a hard and fast thing we can tie it to.”

The increase was especially unexpected in light of the Canadian dollar’s relative devaluation, Reese said, noting that Canadians comprise a large percentage of San Diego’s winter visitors. He speculated that the effects of the strong American dollar may have been counteracted by promotions aimed at Canadians and the increased vitality of the U.S. economy.

“Maybe because of the strength of the economy or people’s perception of it, more people are taking winter vacations, staying longer and spending a bit more freely,” Reese said.