San Diego’s tourism industry hit a record...

San Diego’s tourism industry hit a record high for the month of August, with visitor spending rising 11.9% to $291 million, according to the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Tourists have spent $1.8 billion in San Diego so far this year, an increase of 9.6% over last year’s total at August’s end.

More than 3.8 million visitors came to the county during the month, an increase of 8.6%, according to the bureau. To date, the county has drawn 23 million visitors, a 5.7% increase over last year.

The San Diego Zoo reported a 29% attendance increase, due largely to the special Chinese panda exhibit. Sea World reported a 19% increase to 780,000 visitors during August. Local museums reported that attendance was up 7%, and the Cabrillo National Monument reported a 5% increase.

However, Old Town State Park and the San Diego Wild Animal Park reported that attendance fell 38% and 22%, respectively.