San Diego-area tourism officials see threats to industry in future.

By Michael Kinsman, The San Diego Union-Tribune Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Jan. 21--While San Diego County posted record tourism revenue in 2004 and expects the amount to grow this year, tourism officials yesterday offered an unusually gloomy assessment of the region's long-term outlook.

"We do not expect San Diego to outperform our competitors in 2005," said Reint Reinders, president and chief executive of the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau, or ConVis. "In some ways, this is what happens when you have had as much success as we have had. Our competitors are catching up to us."

ConVis reported that visitor spending in San Diego County totaled $5.6 billion in 2004, up 4.9 percent from the previous year. It forecast that spending would increase to $5.9 billion this year. Yet, that …