According to data released by San Francisco’s tourism bureau, the city had 25.8 million visitors, a 1.2 percent increase, which led to a spending increased of 2.3 percent ($10 billion). The number of visitors is expected to continue to grow to about 26.5 million this year. San Francisco International Airport also had a record high of 57.8 million passengers last year, which is up 3.1 percent from 2017. San Francisco’s Mayor London Breed stated the following,
I am committed to working every day to make our city a better place for everyone, whether they live here or are visiting from the other side of the world
International visitors spent $4.9 billion in San Francisco last year. Most of the visitors came from the following countries: Mexico, China, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany. The tourism industry managed to generate $771 million in taxes and fees for the city last year, which is over 7 percent of the city’s $11 billion budget. Total visitor spending is expected to increase 3.4 percent ($10.3 billion) this year. Unfortunately, San Francisco’s street problems remain a major challenge. There is rampant drug use and homelessness, which has led to several needles and human feces on the streets. Hopefully, the city will continue to working on cleaning up the streets to improve conditions and attract more tourists.
