LJNews From DMOs: San Francisco, LA, Las Vegas, Austin, Denver, and more
After hitting rock bottom last year, San Francisco Travel Association says a long-awaited tourism recovery may finally be materializing. The upturn comes on the heels of a rocky 2024, when San Francisco ranked dead last among the top 25 U.S. markets for hotel rate recovery from 2019 levels. So far this year, RevPAR in the San Francisco market was up 8.8% to around $154, making it the fastest-growing destination among all top 25 U.S. markets.
According to Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, visitor data for June saw volume drop 11.3% to 3.1 million visitors. Hotel occupancy fell 6.5 percentage points to 78.7%, while revenue per available room (RevPAR) declined 13.8%, to $128.78. Convention attendance decreased 10.7% to approximately 375,000. To emphasize value, the DMO ran a first-ever, five-day sale with 100 deals from participating hotels, restaurants, and attractions.
Big news from Discover Los Angeles where the Los Angeles Convention Center Expansion and Modernization Project has been approved. This public infrastructure investment will create 15,000+ jobs, add $652 million in General Fund tax revenue over 30 years and draw in over $150 million annually in additional visitor spending. Read the full joint press release Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board here.
The Rhode Island Convention Center, in the heart of downtown Providence, will reveal a major facelift involving a year-long $25 million renovation, due to re-open in November 2025.
The Austin Convention Center is undergoing a $1.6 billion renovation that will nearly double its space, but the project requires a complete closure until December 2028. Visit Austin is coordinating with hotels to host ‘mini-wide’ events across multiple properties to address the disruption.
Visit Denver has seen increases despite a national decline of 7% in international air travel. Denver International Airport has seen an increase of 3.2% this year in international arrivals, attributed to expanded international routes including new direct flights by United Airlines and additional service by Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa.
Destination Vancouver and their creative agency WILL unveiled the latest campaign, The Three-Day Fling, targeting visitors from California. The 18-week campaign runs in Los Angeles and San Francisco with billboards, META stories, Pinterest placement, and even a Tinder profile inviting Californians to visit, “no strings attached.”
In Colorado, Visit Longmont has partnered with the city and local hotels to form the Longmont Tourism Improvement District. This 2% assessment will provide an additional $456,000 to the annual budget.