More than 130,000 people come to San Diego for the annual Comic-Con convention, and thousands more flood the Gaslamp Quarter just to be around the action.
With that kind of foot traffic, it’s no wonder SDCC generates about $160 million to the local economy — more than the Super Bowl, according to the San Diego Chamber of Commerce.
“It’s definitely the time of year we all look forward to,” Lynette Baty, restaurant manager at Lou & Mickey’s said.
San Diego Comic-Con
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The excitement of San Diego Comic-Con is al around, even buildings are wrapped in it and local businesses are feeling the boom.
“We sit on 5th Avenue, right on the Convention Center, so everyone wants to sit out here and just you know, you see so many people with costumes, animals going by, everything, you see it, you want to be a part of it,” Baty said.
As the convention has grown, so has its impact on the local economy. For Downtown bars and restaurants, it’s a much-welcomed economic boost.
“We depend on this week, we really do,” Baty said. “You get 135, 000 people coming to the Convention Center, that’s something that all of our restaurants up and down 5th Avenue here, really depend on. It’s always a great turn out.”
At Taco Central, they’ve seen a 50% increase in profits in just the last two days and they expect it to increase to 70% in the days ahead.
With more business, they’ve also extended their hours and hired more employees.
“It’s good for us too, and for the people so they can come and eat, drink, and be with the family,” Gutierrez said.
And it’s not just the hospitality industry.
According to the San Diego Chamber of Commerce, Comic-Con generates a huge amount of business for caterers, florists, construction workers, and of course, tourism, putting San Diego on the global stage.
