Speaker Caroline Beteta, President & CEO of Visit California. Credit: Scott Buschman

The San Francisco Peninsula (San Mateo County’s Destination Marketing Organization) hosted its highly anticipated Annual Tourism Luncheon on April 9, 2025, at the San Francisco Airport Waterfront Marriott in Burlingame, CA. This event provided comprehensive insights into the tourism industry’s economic impact on California, the Bay Area and The San Francisco Peninsula. Attendees included the region’s top elected officials and business community members from across a wide spectrum of the tourism industry, including media, neighboring destination marketing organizations, hotel and accommodation providers, travel agencies, restaurant and retail business owners and cultural and recreational attraction managers.

The event featured two distinguished keynote speakers: Caroline Beteta, President and CEO of Visit California, and Zeek Coleman, VP Americas of Tourism Economics. Their presentations delved into not only the economic impact of tourism on the area but also current trends, the recovery and future of the tourism industry. According to Beteta, despite international travelers’ concerns over traveling to the U.S., California remains a standout in terms of favorability and intent to travel.

Key takeaways from The San Francisco Peninsula’s Annual Tourism Luncheon include:

• $156.4 billion in travel-related spending in California in 2024, a 2.7% YOY increase (Dean Runyan Associates).
• $12.6 billion in tax revenue from travel-related spending in California, a 3% YOY increase (Dean Runyan Associates).
• $52 million in visitor spending driven by The San Francisco Peninsula in 2024, including $20 million in labor income and $6 million in state and local taxes (Tourism Economics).
• The San Francisco Peninsula outperformed California and the U.S. in hotel occupancy, demonstrating strong demand for Bay Area visitation - 66% versus 62% (CA) and 56% (U.S.) (CoStar, February YTD 2025).
• Despite economic uncertainty, leisure travel intentions remain strong among higher-income households, which account for more than 60% of hotel spending (Tourism Economics).
• Intended leisure trips are well above what was reported a year ago and maximum travel budgets remain strong (Tourism Economics).

For more information about The San Francisco Peninsula, visit thesanfranciscopeninsula.com.