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San Francisco Travel Announces 2025 Tourism Forecast and 2024 Results

Meetings and events are forecasted to drive modest growth this year

March 20, 2025 (San Francisco) – The San Francisco Travel Association released an updated 2025 tourism forecast and 2024 visitor impact results at its annual Marketing Conference held today at The Hibernia.

San Francisco Travel projects modest growth in visitation and overall visitor spending in 2025, driven by a strong convention calendar and increased business travel. San Francisco is expected to welcome 23.33 million visitors this year, compared to 23.06 million in 2024. Visitor spending is projected to increase to $9.41 billion, up from $9.26 billion in 2024.

While meetings and business travel are projected to increase this year, leisure travel is not expected to see robust growth due to the strength of the U.S. dollar and geopolitical issues.

Major events like the NBA All-Star Weekend, Game Developers Conference, RSAC and Dreamforce headline Moscone Center’s convention calendar in 2025, helping drive lodging gains for the city’s hotel industry. This year, the Moscone Center will host 32 events, accounting for 666,998 room nights — a nearly 70% increase compared to 2024.

“A strong meetings and convention calendar is essential for a strong tourism economy. The growth we’re forecasting this year is a direct result of more event planners choosing San Francisco,” said San Francisco Travel President and CEO Anna Marie Presutti. “We are encouraged by the progress made in bringing major events like Microsoft Ignite, DECA and HumanX to our city."

Hotel occupancy, the average daily rate (ADR) and revenue per available room (RevPAR) are all projected to increase in 2025. Hotel occupancy is projected to reach 64.4%, a 2.3% year-over-year increase. ADR is forecasted to be $233.07 compared to $227.51 in 2024. RevPAR is forecasted to increase by 4.8% to $150.07, up from $143.25 in 2024.

“Tourism plays a critical role in San Francisco’s comeback story, and as mayor, my job is to create the conditions for people to want to come back to our city,” said Mayor Daniel Lurie. “By delivering safe and clean streets, streamlining permitting processes to open new businesses, and holding ourselves accountable, our administration will restore San Francisco as the greatest city in the world.”

Tourism generated $604.6 million in tax revenue for the city and helped support nearly 62,000 jobs in San Francisco.

San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

In 2024, SFO served over 52 million passengers, up 4.1% from 2023. SFO added several new routes and new carriers last year, including United Airlines launching its first nonstop service to Monterrey, Mexico and seasonal services to Barcelona, Spain, Belize City, Belize and Montreal, Canada. Alaska Airlines also launched seasonal service to Guanacaste, Costa Rica while Porter Airlines commenced service to Toronto, Canada and Air Premia began service to Seoul, South Korea.

San Francisco Travel

San Francisco Travel is the official destination marketing organization for the City and County of San Francisco. The city is one of the top tourism and meetings destinations in the U.S., attracting over 23 million visitors annually. In 2024, total visitor-related spending contributed $9.26 billion into the San Francisco economy and supported nearly 62,000 jobs.

For information on reservations, activities and more in San Francisco, visit www.sftravel.com.

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San Francisco International Terminal

SFO is committed to providing an extraordinary airport experience, with seamless access, thoughtful amenities, sustainable design and inspiring artwork and exhibits.

For up-to-the-minute departure and arrival information, airport maps and details on shopping, dining, cultural exhibitions, ground transportation and more, visit www.flysfo.com. Follow us on x.com/flysfo and facebook.com/flysfo.

United Airlines is the preferred airline of the San Francisco Travel Association.

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