Budget includes funding for a record number of tourism-generating programs including several new events
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – June 29, 2022— San Diego Tourism Marketing District (SDTMD) continues to support tourism recovery with nearly $38 million in funding allocated for destination marketing programs in Fiscal Year 2023, which begins July 1. Bolstered by an increase in assessments due to the robust rebound in leisure travel, SDTMD funding allocations for FY23 have increased by $10 million from the previous year. Funding remains $10 million short of the record $48 million allocated for programs in FY20 prior to the pandemic.
“The tourism industry has made great strides when compared to the previous fiscal year during the depths of the pandemic,” said SDTMD Board Chair Richard Bartell. “We are pleased to support a great cross-section of tourism-generating programs in the upcoming year that will continue to drive the recovery, especially with respect to meetings and events.”
San Diego Tourism Authority (SDTA), the City’s destination marketing organization, continues to be SDTMD’s primary recipient of funding and will receive approximately $35 million for strategic marketing programs.
An additional $2.6 million will support a record number of tourism generating events and programs, including several new events and four high-profile sports events that fall under the umbrella of the newly formed non-profit Sports San Diego.
Among the new events supported by SDTMD for FY23 are the Zero Emissions Summit and Expo that focuses on advancing zero-emissions technologies, the Old Town Luche Libre Festival highlighting the Mexican cultural tradition of Luchador Wrestling plus the Winter Gold Squash Tournament, Legit Rare Football All-American Championship and World Lacrosse Championships.
Through Sports San Diego, SDTMD is supporting additional new sporting events including the Donate Life Transplant Games of America, which honors organ donors and raises awareness of organ donation, as well as prestigious boys and girls ECNL soccer tournaments. The 2nd Annual Wonderfront Music and Arts Festival, which returns after a two-year pandemic hiatus, is another high-profile grant recipient for FY23. A full list of FY23 contractors can be found at
sdtmd.org.
SDTMD funding decisions continue to support a responsible tourism approach. A majority of funded events fall during traditionally slower travel periods, which promotes stable business levels year-round while reducing stress on the region during peak travel times. Programs are also scattered throughout the city to benefit lodging in more districts and lessen impact on any single city area.
Several of SDTMD’s sponsored events also include non-SDTMD funded components that focus on giving back to the local community. San Diego Bay Food + Wine Festival partners with Fast Forward Futures to support hospitality, culinary and enology arts scholarship programs for students and professionals in the City of San Diego. The World Gold Squash Tournament helps support Access Youth Academy, a San Diego nonprofit that uses the sport of squash to fuel academic success for low-income youth. The San Diego Crew Classic Freedom Rows events support military veterans recovering from injuries, emotional trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Established in 2008, SDTMD collects a small assessment on room nights from City hotels with 70 rooms or more. These assessments are designated for the sole purpose of funding tourism marketing. Tourism marketing helps increase overnight hotel stays, which generate tax dollars to fund the City’s essential services, support thousands of direct tourism jobs and attract billions in visitor spending to the region. Collectively, the FY23 events are projected to drive approximately 164,000 room nights to generate over $35 million in room night revenue in addition to $3.7 million in Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) for the city. For more information, visit
www.sdtmd.org.
About San Diego Tourism Marketing District
The San Diego Tourism Marketing District (SDTMD) is a nonprofit, mutual-benefit corporation dedicated to improving lodging room night consumption in the City of San Diego. SDTMD provides a private, nonprofit funding vehicle to stimulate City of San Diego lodging room demand through tourism promotion, marketing and advertising programs. The judicious allocation of these resources creates a positive economic, fiscal and employment impact on lodging businesses in the City of San Diego. For more information, please visit: www.sdtmd.org
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