The San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau changed its name to the San Diego Tourism Authority, effective January 1, 2013. The new name reflects the prevailing corporate naming of destination marketing organizations, domestically and internationally, and better communicates the organization’s role as the “official travel resource of the San Diego region.”

“Our new name is direct, easy to understand, memorable and recognizable, which is vital as San Diego becomes more visible on the global tourism stage,” stated Joe Terzi, President & CEO of the San Diego Tourism Authority. “The new name also speaks to the key role our organization plays as the authority on all things related to our region’s tourism industry,” Terzi added.

Incorporated in 1954, the newly named San Diego Tourism Authority markets and sells the greater San Diego region as a premier meeting and vacation destination. The organization has satellite offices domestically in Washington D.C. and Chicago along with sales staff deployed in the northeast and Texas; it also has representation internationally with firms in the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and Korea.

The San Diego Tourism Authority is a private, non-profit, mutual benefit corporation composed of approximately 1,100 member organizations, businesses, local governments and individuals seeking a better community through the visitor industry.

Tourism is the San Diego region’s third largest industry and generates $16.5 billion in total economic impact and $7.5 billion in direct visitor spending to the region’s economy. Tourism employs 163,000 local residents, which accounts for 13% of the jobs in the county. More than 30 million visitors travel to San Diego annually.