San Diego Tourism Marketing District

06/05/2026

San Diego’s ability to attract visitors from nearby drive markets supports resilience in our tourism economy when broader travel costs and market conditions shift.

Through long-term, consistent investment, SDTMD helps keep San Diego top of mind in high-value regional markets like Los Angeles and Phoenix, supporting steady demand for hotel stays.

Learn more about about SDTMD's investment in visitor demand in the FY 2026 Report of Activities: https://sdtmd.org/reports/

05/20/2026

The US Police and Fire Championships brings together athletes from across the country representing law enforcement, firefighters and officers from corrections, probation, border protection, immigration and customs meet in San Diego for a week of intense competition June 13-20.

The weeklong event, projected to fill more than 12,000 room nights in SDTMD hotels, boasts an ROI of nearly 35:1.

Learn more about the competition: https://uspfc.org/

05/08/2026

Read the latest from SDTMD including updates on SDTMD-supported initiatives, recent tourism demand drivers and a closer look at the hospitality leaders guiding San Diego’s tourism investment strategy.

Read more: https://tinyurl.com/53vr2bbt

Want future updates from SDTMD? Sign up to stay connected: https://tinyurl.com/5n8cd93k

05/01/2026

San Diego’s weather, attractions and destination brand give visitors reasons to come year-round. Sports events create a shorter window: fans, athletes and families travel when the event happens.

In a tougher tourism market, SDTMD’s strategy is to align funding with that time-sensitive demand, supporting events during softer booking periods that generate hotel stays and bring economic benefits to San Diego.

Explore more with SDTMD partner Sports San Diego and others in our latest blog post: https://sdtmd.org/roi-of-sports-tourism-in-san-diego

04/23/2026

With 100+ acts across seven stages, Southern-inspired cooking demos, dance lessons and all-day entertainment, the annual Gator By The Bay Zydeco, Blues & Crawfish Festival brings a one-of-a-kind cultural experience to San Diego, May 7–10.

Multi-day events like this attract overnight visitors, helping generate hotel stays, fill rooms during key periods and increase visitor spending from restaurants to local businesses.

In 2025 alone, the event generated $684,353 in total room night revenue, demonstrating the direct impact of driving demand for local hotels. That's tourism investment in action.

Learn more: https://gatorbythebay.com

04/09/2026

What makes San Diego a world class hospitality hub? (Hint: It's not just the weather.) In honor of National Volunteer Month, we're grateful for the leadership and partnership of our board directors and their shared commitment to America's Finest City.

Meet the board: https://sdtmd.org/board-members/

03/26/2026

With San Diego set to host multiple matches during the LA28 Olympic football (soccer) tournaments, our region will welcome a global audience and spotlight what makes this destination world-class.

This milestone delivers more than visibility. It drives real opportunity for our visitor economy, supporting local businesses, sustaining jobs and generating economic impact across communities citywide.

Moments like this underscore the value of sustained tourism marketing investment. Global events bring visitors, and visitors fuel San Diego’s competitiveness, vitality and long-term growth.

Learn more about San Diego’s role in LA28: https://sportssandiego.org/san-diego-will-welcome-matches-for-the-la28-olympic-football-soccer-tournaments/

The LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games announced San Diego as one of seven locations for the 2028 Olympic football (soccer) tournaments. This is a defining moment for San Diego that puts our city on the global stage: here’s what we anticipate in 2028.

03/13/2026

Learn how the 2026 San Diego Open generated 768 hotel room nights, nearly $198,000 in room revenue, and a 6.6:1 ROI on SDTMD’s $30,000 grant to event producer Youth Tennis San Diego in our latest blog post.

Read more: https://sdtmd.org/sports-tourism-roi-san-diego/

Image credit: Barnes Tennis Center

02/20/2026

Presentations for the FY27 funding cycle at last week's board meeting were full of dynamic and creative events! Our board was impressed with the creativity and ambition of the applicants.

The San Diego tourism industry is nothing if not resilient. Our thanks to all the groups who presented.

02/05/2026

The latest SDTMD e-newsletter is live! Inside are key highlights from our FY2025 Annual Performance Report, plus updates on what’s happening now and what to watch for across San Diego tourism.

Read it and subscribe for future updates here: https://tinyurl.com/2nbpsdnk