SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Tourism Authority joined local leaders to kick off the summer season Wednesday.
A news conference was held at the San Diego Zoo that included music and dancing. Characters from Sesame Place, Legoland, and SeaWorld participated in the event.
"We’re very excited for what the summer season holds for San Diego. Memorial Day weekend kicked off great," said Kerri Kapich, COO of the San Diego Tourism Authority. "All of the sports, the entertainment, the attractions, it should be a good summer in San Diego."
Kapich said 2022 was a record year for tourism in America's Finest City in terms of revenue. Tourists spent $13.6 billion dollars in San Diego last year. She said the city is on track to see even higher numbers this year.
She pointed to some of the new attractions including a new rollercoaster at SeaWorld, concerts at the Rady Shell, and nighttime zoo at the San Diego Zoo.
"Tourism taxes are the third highest revenue source for the city, nearly 300 million dollars annually. That’s second to property taxes and sales taxes," said Mayor Todd Gloria.
He said this is the one source of revenue that the city doesn't have to share with other agencies. He said the money is used to invest in everything from parks to infrastructure.