San Francisco Travel expects 2027 to be the city's third straight year of growth, as noted in the newly updated 2026 and 2027 Visitor and Lodging Forecast. The welcome news and sunny outlook was released just as Northstar prepares to kick off its Destination California hosted-buyer event in the Bay Area, Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport.
High-profile events and a strong lineup at Moscone Center are significant contributors to the positive numbers the city is seeing, driven by the momentum of marquee gatherings, such as last February's Super Bowl LX, Dreamforce in a few weeks and the Pokémon World Championships this weekend.
2026 San Francisco forecast by the numbers
• Hotel occupancy: 70.7 percent (+5.2 percent year over year)
• Average Daily Rate: $266.16 (+8.5 percent YoY)
• Revenue per available room: $188.06 (+14.1 percent YoY)
• Moscone Center events: 38, generating more than 656,000 room nights
• Visitor volume: 24.4 million
• Visitor spending: $9.94 billion
Steady gains in business and leisure travel are contributing to the momentum, which is resulting in the second straight year of a 14 percent RevPAR growth. “This year's numbers reflect something we've been working toward for a while — a tourism economy that's healthy across the board, not just during marquee events," said SF Travel president and CEO Anna Marie Presutti.
“June was San Francisco's best occupancy month since the pandemic, and that's exactly the kind of momentum we want to build on," Presutti continued. "There’s still work to be done, and we're keeping our foot on the gas to make sure this growth carries into 2027.”
2027 San Francisco forecast highlights
• Hotel occupancy: 72.1 percent
• Average Daily Rate: $271.43
• RevPAR: $195.61
• Moscone Center events: 33 events, generating more than 640,000 room nights
• Visitor volume: 25M
• Visitor spending: $10.6B
In addition to the third straight year of growth, the 2027 forecast includes the long-awaited rebound of international inbound travel, following two consecutive years of what SF Travel calls anemic growth. The top 10 international visitor markets are projected to grow, in terms of both visitor volume and spend.
Overnight visitors to San Francisco and San Mateo counties (the latter being south of the city and the home of San Francisco International Airport) are forecast by Tourism Economics to reach 2.42 milion in 2027, up 5.2 percent from this year. Spending is predicted to increase by 7.3 percent to $5.46 billion.
Putting the region's benefits on display
Industry professionals attending Northstar's Destination California will see firsthand the hospitality and some of the venues driving the rebound, in both San Francisco and the peninsula to the south. Venues such as the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, Grand Hyatt at SFO, and Filoli Historic House and Garden provide the convenience of proximity to both SFO and event venues such as Oracle Park in the city.
Experiencing the destination also provides clear perspective on San Francisco's post-pandemic transformation. “We have made our streets safer and cleaner," said Mayor Daniel Lurie. "We have made it easier to open and grow a business. We have invested in our downtown and our neighborhoods. We are bringing major events to our city, like the Super Bowl and Vogue World. And now, San Francisco is on track to set a tourism-spending record of nearly $10 billion, which matters for every sector of our economy."
