Foreigners Place S.D. High on List of Top Destinations

One of the few unequivocally positive signs in San Diego’s tourism industry is the rise in international visitors. In fact, San Diego now ranks as the 10th-most-preferred U.S. destination among foreigners.

In 1991, about 711,000 international visitors came to San Diego, a 15.2% increase from the 617,400 the year before, according to a study commissioned by the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau.

San Diego ranks, in order, behind New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Orlando, Washington, Las Vegas, Boston and Chicago as a magnet for foreign visitors.

The strength of foreign currencies against the weakened dollar is the main reason for the increase in international visits, ConVis Research Manager Lynn Mohrfeld said Monday. The most represented nation was the United Kingdom (16.5% of the total), followed by Germany, Japan, Australia, France and Italy.

The average household income of foreign visitors to San Diego in 1991 was $55,400 a year. The median age was 36.

Meanwhile, the September indicators for San Diego’s tourism industry were mixed. Attendance at major attractions, including the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park, declined, while museum visits, air passenger arrivals and hotel occupancy improved.

San Diego’s rise in international visitors was greater on a percentage basis than the nation as a whole.

In 1991, about 16.2 million foreigners visited the United States, a 7.3% increase from the 15.1 million in 1990, according to Joe Horak, spokesman for the U.S. Travel Data Center, a Washington-based nonprofit organization that conducts economic and market research for the travel industry.

“It’s been cheaper to fly, and the evolution of the ‘open skies’ agreement among foreign air carriers means more foreign competition to bring tourists here,” Horak said.