Join the Tourism Community

Benefit from increased visibility to San Diego visitors

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Gerry shaking hands with a tourism accelerator member

Joining the San Diego Tourism Authority (SDTA) is an important step in building your tourism marketing plan.

The sales and marketing organization for the entire San Diego region, the SDTA invests more than $47 million annually in sales, advertising and promotional programs, delivering more than 35 million visitors who spend over $10 billion dollars.

An SDTA Membership gives you exposure to key markets reaching leisure and business travelers and travel trade contacts that can help grow your business. In addition, you’ll have direct access to local companies that share in your goals and can support your efforts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it cost?

Annual Membership for most businesses is $637, and is for a term of July-June. Businesses pay a prorated amount based on the month they join.

Who am I reaching?

Membership gives you exposure to key markets to help grow your business, from connections to local companies, to leisure and business travelers, and travel trade contacts. Through your dedicated landing page on SanDiego.org, events and offers you publish, and promotional opportunities online and in print, you have many options to increase visibility to key audiences.

What support do I receive?

SDTA empowers you with the knowledge and resources you need–from industry trend reports, tourism forecasts, and marketing planning tools, to member-only cooperative programs, and access to key professionals who can book you direct business. Join a collective community of tourism businesses and you’ll gain a competitive edge and expand your reach.

Exclusive Member Benefits

Publish your profile, photo and video gallery and unlimited offers and events to 8 million annual visitors on sandiego.org.
Participate in travel cooperative programs regionally, nationally and internationally; be included in SDTA newsletters and press releases, and much more.
Gain access and visibility to the lucrative group meeting market, in our Meeting Planners Guide, on websites designed specifically for meeting planners and other exclusive member opportunities.
Know about meetings and conferences in San Diego: Exclusive to our members, the San Diego Meeting Calendar lists group meetings booked by SDTA, including names and key data on the meeting.
Gain market intelligence with our Strategic Planning tools: Access industry data and reports, be in-the-know about the Destination Marketing Plan, reinforce your brand with the San Diego Brand Toolkit, and get up-to-date industry news through the SDTA Connect blog.
Network with other industry professionals in San Diego’s hospitality and tourism industry to find collaborative opportunities that can drive your business forward.

About SDTA

Mission Statement

To drive visitor demand to economically benefit the San Diego region.

Objective

As a sales and marketing organization, the main objective of the San Diego Tourism Authority is to promote and market the San Diego region as a preferred vacation and meeting destination.

INTERNATIONAL REACH

To benefit our 1000+ Members and promote San Diego as a preferred destination, SDTA invests $25 million dollars in advertising and promotional programs, delivering an estimated 900 million impressions for San Diego each year. With marketing campaigns and digital outreach in eight countries, the SDTA's exposure to potential visitors to the region is expansive.

RELEVANT AUDIENCE

The marketing strategy of the SDTA ensures that awareness of San Diego reaches the right audience with the right message at the right time. Whether long-term planning or last-minute decision, visitors considering San Diego are seeking information about local businesses including restaurants, attractions, tours, and activities.

TRUST AND CREDIBILITY

Nearly 65 years of expertise, development, improvement, and execution of marketing and selling the San Diego brand are the core of the SDTA's success. Guided by the direction of a board of directors including local business owners, public officials, and esteemed thought leaders, the SDTA is an advocate for all businesses benefiting from increased tourism to the destination.

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Industry Stats

The local impact of travel and tourism to the destination is substantial, directly supporting lodging, tourism businesses, and transportation in the region.

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35 million
VISITORS

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86% LEISURE
12% BUSINESS
2% OTHER

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$10.8B
VISITOR SPENDING

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22.4M
HOTEL ROOM NIGHTS SOLD

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$778M
TOTAL TAX REVENUES GENERATED

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194,000
SAN DIEGANS EMPLOYED

Current Members by Category

Food & Drink 27%

Activities & Attractions 23%

Where to Stay 21%

Meeting Support Services 11%

Community Organizations 7%

Professional Services 5%

Plan your Trip 3%

Event Venues 3%

Current Members by Region

Downtown 36%

Mission Valley/Old Town 15%

La Jolla 8%

North County Coastal 8%

Point Loma, Harbor Island & Shelter Island 7%

Mission Bay/Beaches 7%

North County Inland 6%

East County 5%

Coronado 3%

Outside San Diego 3%

South Bay 2%

Events

Annual attendance – over 3,200

SDTA Annual Meeting – Over 800 attendees include SDTA Members, Board of Directors, local and state elected officials. Current state of the industry, and forward-looking programs to increase visitation to San Diego. May annually.
Hospitality Open Golf Tournament – A full field of 144 golfers come together each spring to network and vie to etch their names on the perpetual cup. April annually.
All Industry Cruise – Every August the SDTA along with a dozen other local industry associations and Hornblower cruises host the biggest networking event of the year, with over 1,300 attendees.
Annual Fall Sales & Marketing Workshop – Each fall, the SDTA convenes an important workshop to share our latest market information, with keynote speakers addressing relevant trends, forward-looking market data, and breakouts for your whole team. Sep/Oct annually
Social Media Workshops – The SDTA offers free quarterly training sessions for our Members from leading social media marketing thought leaders. Quarterly.
Open Office Hours – on the last Friday of each month the SDTA invites Members to our offices for personalized training and Member engagement strategy sessions. A different SDTA department is highlighted each month.
New Member Inspiration – Offered as both an onboarding session for new businesses or a great refresher for existing Members, this interactive session allows our team to provide an overview of all Member benefits and opportunities. Members will also have the opportunity to make a brief presentation to select SDTA staff.