SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Tourism Authority is working to help small businesses attract tourists through its Tourism Accelerator program, which provides marketing support, development resources and mentorship to underrepresented businesses.
For 11 years, Studio Door has been a staple in the Hillcrest art community. Gallery owner Patric Stillman says while running a business comes with challenges, programs like the Tourism Accelerator help make a difference.
"There's a lot to handle with the slowing tourism with the challenging economy. It can be a very lonely experience," Stillman said.
The program offered direct connections he didn't know were available for his business.
"I just was so neighborhood-focused, and it really gave me an opportunity to sort of expand my visibility in San Diego," Stillman said.
The program is run by the San Diego Tourism Authority, assisting small underrepresented businesses with marketing, development, mentorship and how to navigate the tourism industry through monthly educational events.
"It's doing our part to both bring that revenue from our visitors into San Diego, but also support our local residents," said Theresa Cunningham, VP of People, Culture, and Purpose at the San Diego Tourism Authority.
Cunningham says they're welcoming a new group in 2026 to participate in the program. They're looking for businesses that have a focus on environmental sustainability.
"We want to position San Diego as an environmentally sustainable destination, and we thought, how can we do our part to help uplift and support those businesses to grow, just knowing it's such a big part of what makes us special, but also is good for our destination in the long term," Cunningham said.
Stillman says anything that supports small businesses helps save small businesses.
"It's really easy to let small businesses disappear and then sort of cry about it. Oh, I love that place, and there's nothing you can do once it's gone," Stillman said.
The deadline to apply is November 20.
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