By Macy Meinhardt, Voice & Viewpoint Staff Writer
As San Diego’s tourism industry continues to contribute billions of dollars into the local economy, a unique program is helping local, diverse-owned businesses capitalize on this growth.
One in eight jobs is tourism related in San Diego, and the industry pumped a record $14.3 billion into the local economy last year.
As a way to promote industry equity, the San Diego Tourism Authority’s Tourism Accelerator Program selects a group of ten local businesses each year that reflects the diversity of San Diego’s community to benefit from a unique blend of support, training, and exposure.
The idea for this initiative began in 2021. Taking a hard hit from the pandemic, the tourism authority began rebuilding with a focus on fostering diverse and inclusive business partnerships within the industry.
This focus ushered in Theresa Cunningham’s role as the inaugural director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Community Engagement for the San Diego Tourism Authority.
Cunningham is a Southern California native and has resided in San Diego for the last decade. She received her undergrad degree in international relations from University of Southern California and received her masters from Columbia University in educational development. She has worked to address educational inequities in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asian regions, and also spent a year in Europe where she focused on education and immigration in Sweden.
Upon her return back to the states, Cunningham worked to help grow and support the local non-profit Reality Changers which supports first generation students through college.
Now she is working to weave inclusive strategies into the authority. The accelerator program, under her management, is recognized as an award winning initiative in their support for diverse owned businesses.
The program, led by her and one other colleague, has supported 30 businesses in the last three years. Providing support in marketing, mentorship, public relations, and networking—with services valued up to $15,000 in value.
Having worked towards promoting global equity in education prior, Cunningham embraced the opportunity to continue this mission through economic development.
Her background in strategic organizational development shines through in the program’s structure, which is designed not only to support business growth but to build lasting community connections among alumni. “We have an alumni committee, so even businesses that have graduated stay connected,” Cunningham explained.
Participants reported an increase in business opportunities, with 65% experiencing an increase in revenue and 45% creating new jobs, according to the Tourism Authority’s impact report.
Chantanaya Buie, CEO of Hey Sugar, a southern comfort desert shop, is a cohort member from 2023.
“The program opened a door that I didn’t even know existed, and now I’m a dessert distributor for hotels, restaurants and caterers,” says Buie in a testimonial.
For Cunningham, the accelerator program is more than growing businesses; it’s about enhancing San Diego’s reputation as a diverse, inclusive destination. “One of the key goals,” she emphasized, “is to uplift the diversity within San Diego, ensuring that both residents and visitors can see it as a welcoming, inclusive place.”
Cunningham shares that the program is intentionally kept small and tight-knit each year, to foster peer relationships and support among the participating businesses.
Many things are touched by the tourism and hospitality sphere in San Diego, from restaurants, to retail, activities and attractions, transportation, interpreters, and more.
For businesses interested in applying, Cunningham encourages a broad view of tourism: “You might run a B2B service, like an HR consulting firm. Ask yourself, how does that connect to bringing visitors to San Diego? Can you make that connection?” The program is competitive with only 10 spots available in the cohort, however applicants who qualify but are not selected are eligible for a subsidized rate on Tourism Authority membership.
Businesses owned by people of color, women, veterans, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people with disabilities are welcome to apply.
Applications for the next cohort close November 25th, to learn how to apply visit their tourism accelerator homepage:https://www.sandiego.org/about/tourism-accelerator.aspx
