Local businesses that rely on summer weather and tourists are preparing for the fall and winter months ahead.
“Our business is almost like 50% in the summertime. Maybe sometimes a little more,” said Mike Soltan who is the owner of Mission Beach restaurant Kojack’s.
Tourists and their purchases help fuel many businesses in San Diego.
“I’d say that or a little over $100 per day,” said Austin who is visiting San Diego.
The tourism industry is expecting a downturn in 2025, and that is causing some concern.
The anticipated slowdown comes after positive data in Fiscal Year 2024, when 32 million people visited San Diego with a total economic impact of $14.8 billion, according to the San Diego Tourism Authority. Experts say that 2 million more people visited San Diego than the prior year.
The summer months are key for many local businesses so they will be calculating the revenue they generated in the summer of 2025
“It’s kind of seasonal down here but the rest of the year is like a roller coaster up and down,” Soltan said.
Local leaders and business owners are looking toward attracting more visitors in the future. The San Diego Tourism Authority is looking toward building upon connections with other cities ahead of events like the World Cup and the 2028 Olympics in the hopes of attracting tourists who go to those events to come to San Diego as well.