San Francisco expects record summer visitor spending, driven by conventions
Convention calendars are filling Moscone and hotels, with San Francisco projecting $9.9 billion in visitor spending and 38 major conferences this year.
San Francisco’s summer visitor surge is being powered less by beach weather than by badges, meeting agendas and packed ballroom schedules. The city is projecting 24.2 million visitors in 2026 and $9.9 billion in visitor spending, a level that would top its pre-pandemic record of $9.6 billion and mark the first time since COVID that spending is forecast to clear that benchmark.
The numbers point to a recovery that is showing up most clearly in the city’s convention business. San Francisco Travel Association says 38 Moscone Center events are scheduled for 2026, expected to generate more than 674,000 room nights. That is the kind of volume that fills hotels from SoMa to Union Square, sends more diners into nearby restaurants and puts more riders on Muni and BART at the start and end of conference days. SF Travel projects hotel occupancy at 69 percent, average daily room rates of $257.81 and revenue per available room of $177.85, up 7.9 percent from a year earlier.
The forecast comes after a solid 2025. San Francisco welcomed 23.7 million visitors last year, with spending at $9.4 billion, tourism tax revenue at $655 million and 63,900 jobs supported across hotels, restaurants, retail and cultural institutions. The city’s leaders are leaning on those figures as proof that the recovery is spreading beyond a few marquee blocks, with convention traffic helping downtown businesses that still need a steadier weekday customer base.
That rebound has been building through a string of revised forecasts. In August 2025, SF Travel projected 23.49 million visitors and $9.35 billion in spending for that year, helped by 34 Moscone events and nearly 657,000 room nights. Earlier that spring, it had forecast 23.33 million visitors and $9.41 billion in spending, with 32 Moscone events generating 666,998 room nights. The city’s event calendar included the NBA All-Star Experience, Outside Lands, the Laver Cup, Game Developers Conference, RSAC, Dreamforce, Microsoft Ignite, DECA and HumanX.
Anna Marie Presutti, SF Travel’s chief executive, has said the convention pipeline is doing what San Francisco built it to do, even if the environment remains “noisy.” That caution matters. Tourism numbers can look strong on paper while some storefronts in Union Square and the Financial District still struggle with staffing and uneven foot traffic. But the latest forecast suggests a real lift is taking shape, not just a promotional one.
International travel is also expected to help. SF Travel says overnight international visitation should reach 2.3 million in 2026, with spending rising to $5.2 billion. Visit California expects statewide international travel to improve next year, aided in part by FIFA World Cup matches in San Francisco and Los Angeles. For a city trying to turn recovery into something visible on the street, the summer test will be whether the crowds show up not just in forecasts, but in hotel lobbies, restaurant reservations and the midday crush around Moscone, Union Square and downtown transit stops.
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