Business & Finance

San Francisco CVB Releases 2009 Tourism Figures

Visitors to San Francisco Down 5.8%, Visitor Spending Down 7.8% from 2008

MARCH 10, 2010 - The San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau (SFCVB) has released its annual estimate of the economic impact of the tourism industry in San Francisco.

In 2009, San Francisco welcomed 15.4 million visitors, a decrease of 5.8 percent from 2008. These visitors spent $7.8 billion in 2009, a decrease of 7.8 percent from the previous year.

Nationally, the US Travel Association forecasted a drop in total travel expenditures of 8.8 percent for 2009.

“This data is not unexpected but it’s especially disturbing in light of the importance of tourism to the economic health of San Francisco,” said Joe D'Alessandro, SFCVB president and CEO. "The global financial uncertainty has taken a toll on tourism in destinations across the country. It’s all the more reason why we all must work smarter and harder to keep San Francisco the best that it can be for our visitors.”

The tourism industry generated over $426 million in taxes for the City of San Francisco, down 19.2 percent from the previous year.

Tourism supported 66,837 jobs in 2009 with an annual payroll of $1.8 billion.

In 2009, there was an average of 125,407 visitors in San Francisco each day. Visitor spending equated to 21.5 million daily.

To help boost hotel business, the SFCVB is "casting a wider net" for meeting and conventions that historically have not met in San Francisco due to perceived cost challenges. With the current economic conditions in their favor, groups such as the California Travel Industry Association’s (CalTIA) Conference on Tourism - which is being held in San Francisco for the first time on June 7-9, 2010 - are finding San Francisco to be a great value for their meetings. The Bureau sales team is also aggressively prospecting for short-term meetings to fill open dates at Moscone Center, as they did with Drupal Association, which will bring 2,500 attendees to the Drupalcon Annual Conference April 18-21.

For the third year, the SFCVB is orchestrating a co-operative campaign with several major cultural venues to promote the "embarrassment of riches" in art exhibitions this summer. Developed by the SFCVB, SFMOMA, the de Young, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, the Asian Art Museum and others will join in a print and online campaign to target "cultural travelers" in key feeder markets to San Francisco, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento and Portland/Seattle, and getaway packages to San Francisco will be awarded on major radio stations in each market.

In mid-April, the SFCVB will be launching a new campaign targeting gay and lesbian (LGBT) travelers, a key market segment for San Francisco. A 2010 survey by Community Marketing, Inc., shows San Francisco to be the #2 overall destination in America for LGBT travelers. The SFCVB launched its first LGBT targeted campaign in March 2007 and won an award for Best Cooperative Marketing Campaign from the California Travel & Tourism Commission.

The new campaign includes print and online ads, as well a revamped microsite, onlyinsanfrancisco.com/gaytravel. Here Media was recently named official media sponsor of the 2010 campaign.

The San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau is a private, not-for-profit organization that markets the city as a leisure, convention and business travel destination. With nearly 1,700 members, the SFCVB is one of the largest membership-based tourism promotion agencies in the country. Tourism, San Francisco's largest industry, generates in excess of $8.5 billion annually for the local economy. The SFCVB business offices are located at 201 Third St., Suite 900, San Francisco, CA 94103. The Bureau also operates the Visitor Information Center at Hallidie Plaza, 900 Market Street at the corner of Powell and Market streets. For more information, call 415-974-6900 or visit www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) offers non-stop links with more than 30 international points on five continents with 29 international carriers. The Bay Area's largest airport connects non-stop with more than 65 cities in the U.S. on 20 domestic airlines. For up-to-the-minute departure and arrival information, airport maps and details on shopping, dining, cultural exhibitions, ground transportation and more, visit www.flysfo.com.

Sign up to receive more articles like this on the Hotel Newswire Daily Digest eNewsletter.


Receive the free Daily Digest
Coming Up In The March Online Hotel Business Review

"Hotel Business Review offers weekly articles for hotel management and operation and discussion on emerging growth markets."
Feature Focus
Hotel Human Resources: The Biggest Challenges
The economic challenges of the past four years have led many hotel companies to re-examine the ways in which they do business and how they deploy talent. In many cases, the work did not go away and fewer people were left to carry on the tasks that had previously been shared among many. As we work our way out of the recession and look forward to a healthier economic environment, there is an understanding that despite recovering business levels, we may never see the return of former staffing levels. This "new norm" of operating with leaner teams has led Human Resources professionals and people managers to look at career development and growth opportunities in a new light. The March Hotel Business Review will take a look at some of the strategies being used by successful hotel brands, and techniques human resource directors are currently exploring.
INSIGHTS FOR INDUSTRY LEADERS BY INDUSTRY LEADERS
"The Four Habits of Highly Effective Human Resources"
By James Bermingham, Vice President, Montage Hotels
"Embassy Suites 'The Circle of Leadership"
By Darci Riesenhuber, Director of Brand Culture, Embassy Suites Hotels
"Applying Consumer Marketing Best Practices to Employee Loyalty"
By Fred Bendana, Executive Director Client Services, Maritz Loyalty & Motivation
"How Incentives are Changing to Keep Existing Staff Motivated?"
By Jim Houran, Partner, HVS Executive Search
PLUS: Mobile Technology - Attracting & Retaining Top Talent - Education - Employee Engagement - Employment Claims & Litigation - Employment Contracts - HR Management.