Dreamforce data suggests SF tourism is rebounding

The report found that this year’s Dreamforce conference was almost comparable to the 2019 event – a promising harbinger for the city’s tourism industry, which has been ravaged by the pandemic.

“If there’s one thing we can do to accelerate our recovery, it’s to double tourism,” Hotel Council of San Francisco president and CEO Alex Bastian told SFGATE.

“We see steps in the right direction. During Dreamforce you didn’t see any negative stories and we got a positive reaction.

According to SRT, the three weekdays of Dreamforce 2022 had an average occupancy rate of 91.2%; compare that with the 2019 conference, which took place over four weekdays and had an occupancy rate of 88.9%.

When analyzing particular days, the peak occupancy rate this year was September 20 with 95.2%. It was not the best day of 2019 on November 20, when peak occupancy was 96.8%.

The San Francisco Travel Association compiles its own official room block data, and it should be available in the coming weeks.

The Moscone Center is expected to host TechCrunch Disrupt later this month. The first major convention of the new year is in January when JP Morgan hosts its annual healthcare conference.

While tourism industry leaders embrace the encouraging data from the SRT report, some remain focused on the future.

“I am cautiously optimistic about where we are heading as a city. The report gives me optimism because it shows that if we all work together, we can achieve great things for our city. However, there is still a lot of work to do and we need everyone around the table,” said Bastian.

“If we can have a successful JP Morgan January, I think we can really shape the trajectory for 2023.”