SF tourism has experienced two years of straight growth for the first time since 2019, with an additional 500,000 tourists expected to visit the city in 2026 compared to 2025, but hotel occupancy rates are still much lower than pre-pandemic levels.

The San Francisco Travel Association released its annual summer travel forecast Wednesday, which projects that about 24.2 million travelers will visit SF this year compared to 23.7 million in 2025, as KTVU reports. The agency says tourism in SF has experienced two years of straight growth for the first time since 2019, and the influx of visitors is projected to bring in an additional $10 billion in revenue to the city.

The AI boom is largely credited with the boost in tourism, as half of this year’s 38 major conferences are tech-related, contributing to a 6% increase in hotel bookings over last year. The Chronicle notes that June alone is packed with tech conferences, including events organized by Snowflake, Databricks, and Microsoft AI.

Additionally, job numbers in SF’s leisure and hospitality sector saw more growth than any other job sector in 2025, accounting for 63,900 jobs and generating $655 million in tax revenue for the city’s General Fund. According to a statement from SF Mayor Daniel Lurie's office, this is equivalent to $778 in tax relief per San Francisco resident and represents a $50 million increase from 2024.

On the other hand, the World Cup did not bring in as many hotel bookings as anticipated, and the city’s current hotel occupancy rate — projected at 69% this year — is still far behind 2019’s rate of 82%, according to Anna Marie Presutti, CEO of the San Francisco Travel Association.

Leaders remain cautious about the estimates, as high fuel prices and the current political climate continue to impact travel. Per the Chronicle, the number of international visitors to the US as a whole reportedly fell by a record 5.5% last year. Travelers have said they canceled trips to the US out of fear of being detained by ICE.

“We plan the best we can, and we try not to be overly optimistic," said Anna Marie Presutti, CEO of the San Francisco Travel Association, speaking to KTVU. "We try to be true to what's going on, and I think those numbers reflect that.”

Nevertheless, the city expects to host around 2.3 million international travelers this year, up from 2.2 million last year, with the largest amount coming from Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, China, and India.

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