For the purposes of our study, increased tourism is the additional number of people that would visit San Diego due to the restoration of the marsh.

Given San Diego's status as the most biodiverse county in the continental United States, it is no surprise that much of San Diego's tourism is rooted in ecotourism, or nature-based forms of tourism such as hiking, kayaking, or snorkeling. Between 2012 and 2019 San Diego averaged 34.2 million visitors per year. They spent an average of 9.9 billion dollars per year which equates to roughly $312 per tourist. This means that a minor increase in tourism would result in large economic gains for the City.

To calculate the value we synthesize the average $312 spent per tourist mentioned in the above section with our best guess of how many people would come to San Diego because of the marsh restoration. We pick a conservative estimate of 50 people so as to not overinflate the value of this service.

Enhancing the wetlands at Mission Bay would further incentive ecotourists to visit San Diego by providing an additional location for bird watching. If simply restoring the wetlands isn't enough to make it a tourist destination, steps could be taken to make it one by adding boardwalks or a visitor center where tourists could learn about the unique natural history of Mission Bay.