Karryon chats to the main man at San Diego Tourism Authority, Senior Director of Tourism Development Benjamin Eastman, to hear about the Aussie market, the five places you can’t miss when you’re in town and fish tacos… of course.
It’s a Californian city boasting 33 beaches, a vibrant arts scene, a strong fusion of cultures and world-class cuisine from Michelin to Mexican. It’s also one of the biggest cities in the US. But this ain’t Los Angeles, rather its southern cousin San Diego.
According to San Diego Tourism Authority Senior Director of Tourism Development Benjamin Eastman, just over 70,000 Australians visited the city pre-pandemic. And though that’s not a huge figure, it did still represent the city’s fifth biggest international market.
While San Diego would love to boost Aussie visitor numbers, Eastman says the city is also pretty happy to be more of a destination for those in the know. Maybe you could thank its laid-back vibe for that.
“Regardless of the market, we always fall behind LA and San Francisco as far as pop culture,” he tells Karryon in an interview in Sydney.
“Since people see California on TV, it’s always LA or San Francisco… maybe Orange County with the Housewives.
“In some senses, we kind of pride ourselves on being kind of the hidden gem of Southern California. If you know, you go.”
And if you go, you’ll be rewarded, promises Eastman.
“Get out of the gateways and get to this great culinary experience and this laid-back Southern California vibe and less traffic and friendly people… and certainly we want to promote that about ourselves,” he says.
Another selling point for San Diego, is the closeness of attractions inside and just outside the city.
“I always say 80 per cent of what a visitor wants to see in the region is usually within a 20 or 25-minute drive. Whether you’re driving or taking an Uber, it’s not that far and it’s not that expensive.”
Five must-do experiences
So whilst in San Diego, what should one experience? According to Eastman, at the top of the list should be the city’s famous urban and cultural space, Balboa Park.
“We call it kind of the cultural hub of San Diego. So it’s got 15 museums; it’s got some great architecture that’s over 100 years old; it’s got an old-world theatre, so a kind of recreation of the UK or a London theatre,” he explains.
“There’s an artist colony where people are creating arts, so you can watch them create art or produce their arts… and most of it is free.”
There are also “lots of festivals throughout the year”. And it’s only five minutes out of town.
Another major attraction of the city is San Diego Zoo, undoubtedly one of the world’s most famous zoos.
Boasting around 4,000 animals across about 100 acres, the zoo is part of Balboa Park, so is “super convenient”. Eastman says it’s also doing great conservation work around the world.
Everybody needs good neighbourhoods
Given San Diego is a “destination of neighbourhoods”, Eastman also recommends visitors get out of the downtown area and experience a neighbourhood like the Old Town and its renowned state park.
At the Old Town San Diego State Park, which is the most visited state park in California, visitors will find a mix of historical museums where people dress up in “old-time costumes”, and “lots of Mexican restaurants” and stores.
“Old Town was the original downtown for San Diego, before California came over and took the area away from Mexico, so it definitely has a Mexican flair. We really kind of tried to preserve that… that history and experience in the state park.”
Another big drawcard for San Diego is its culinary scene, “whether it’s sampling the local ‘Cali Baja’ cuisine or splurging on a Michelin star restaurant” or just enjoying an abundance of fresh seafood.
“The other food item that we’re known for is the fish taco, because you’ve got all that great fresh fish,” Eastman says, and 24-hour taco shops in which to find them.
“You can get Persian food; you can get great Japanese food.”
San Diego also has the largest concentration of small farms in the United States, “so you have all this fresh produce that’s coming in from small farms”.
“It’s very kind of farm-to-table.”
And you can wash it all down with a craft beer from one of “135 breweries in the region”.
Surf’s up
And what’s a trip to San Diego without a visit to one of its 33 beaches. Eastman recommends Coronado, which he says is often ranked among the top 10 beaches in the US. But Mission Beach is closer and has great access to restaurants and shops.
All of this is not to mention the proximity of Mexico, which lies only around 25kms down the road and offers another, unique selling point for the city.
“The comment that we often hear from those who just kind of do a day trip to San Diego or a one-nighter is, I wish I could have stayed longer. I wish I’d known how great it was and I would have stayed longer.”
So travel professionals, take heed.
“That’s one of the main reasons why I’m in town, visiting as many tour operators and travel agents as I can,” Eastman says.
“It’s a lot about education… helping people to understand the differences between LA and San Diego and why it’s worth the extra two-hour drive south of Los Angeles.”
It certainly sounds like it is.
For more information on San Diego Tourism click here.
Earlier this year, San Diego was named among the world’s top five most photogenic sunset spots on Instagram. See the full list here.
