San Diego Tourism Expects A Good Year

San Diego’s tourism industry welcomed 34.9 million visitors in 2016, an all-time high for the city, thanks to a thriving dining and craft beer scene, new upscale hotels and a wide array of attractions.

Travel professionals can learn all about San Diego and earn a San Diego Specialist Certification; those who complete the program receive regular updates on what’s new in town along with discounts and special offers, and the San Diego Tourism Authority invites one graduate a year on a fam trip.

What’s new in 2017
The Bay City Brewing Co. and the San Diego Tourism Authority have partnered to launch our very own brew, “72 and Hoppy.” It’s available at local bars, restaurants, hotels and attractions.

The San Diego Zoo this summer is opening an eight-acre exhibit called Africa Rocks, showcasing the continent’s diverse plant and animal species. The $68-million project also includes a state-of-the-art habitat for a large flock of endangered African penguins.

The San Diego Zoo’s Africa Rocks. Photo: Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo 

A state-of-the-art habitat is now home to endangered African penguins. Photo: Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo

Birch Aquarium at Scripps in La Jolla is running an immersive installation on bioluminescence in marine life through December 31. The Infinity Cube exhibit combines glowing creatures with world-class science, high-tech projection and an original soundscape designed by London-based artist Iyvone Khoo and Scripps Institution of Oceanography scientist Michael Latz.

SeaWorld San Diego has opened DeepSeeVR: Orca 360, a seven-minute live-action video of half a dozen orcas. It’s part of the new multi-million dollar Ocean Explorer attraction that opened in May, containing multiple aquariums and rides that use state-of-the-art digital technologies. It also contains a series of undersea research bases housing specially-designed aquariums, known as research pods, and interactive activities.

The Mission Bay Sports Center is offering a new luxury 47-foot Catamaran-style yacht for private charters of up to 25 people. The Malarkey is equipped with a barbecue, an outdoor seating area, four bathrooms, four beds and a kitchenette.

Air and hotel options are increasing
When it comes to the hotel scene, 10 hotels this year, totaling 1,800 rooms, are under construction – including a 300-room hotel at the Sycuan Casino, a 250-room Legoland Castle Hotel inside the Carlsbad theme park, and a 400-room InterContinental on the former Lane Field in downtown San Diego.

The $120-million Pendry San Diego Hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter is the first for the new Pendry Hotels luxury brand from Montage Hotels & Resorts. It has six on-site restaurants, including an upscale seafood eatery and a German-style pub, a rooftop pool deck, an 8,400-square-foot grand ballroom and 35,000 square feet of meeting and function space.

The $120-million Pendry San Diego Hotel is located in the city’s Gaslamp Quarter.

And as the city grows, so too does its air service. JetBlue Airlines began offering its Mint service between New York’s JFK and San Diego, featuring fully-flat-bed seating, fully enclosed private suites and 15-inch flat screens with complimentary entertainment. Mint flights from New York will be increased to twice daily in October, and a daily Boston-to-San-Diego route will be added in December. Southwest Airlines will begin San Diego’s only nonstop flight to Tampa on Jan. 8, 2018. Alaska Airlines launched six new non-stop flights to San Diego earlier this year, and will add Austin and Omaha flights this month, followed by flights from Albuquerque in October, Minneapolis/St. Paul in November, and Kansas City and St. Louis, MO, in December.