San Francisco Travel Association

TO ENHANCE THE LOCAL ECONOMY BY MARKETING SAN FRANCISCO AND THE BAY AREA AS THE PREMIER DESTINATION FOR CONVENTIONS, MEETINGS, EVENTS AND LEISURE TRAVEL.

AS THE CITY'S OFFICIAL VISITOR PROMOTION ORGANIZATION, THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THE SAN FRANCISCO TRAVEL ASSOCIATION IS TO ENHANCE SAN FRANCISCO'S ECONOMY BY PROMOTING THE CITY AS A SITE FOR CONVENTIONS AND TRADE SHOWS, AND AS A DESTINATION FOR LEISURE TRAVELERS. IN SUPPORT OF THIS PURPOSE, SAN FRANCISCO TRAVEL PROVIDES SALES AND MARKETING, AS WELL AS INFORMATION SERVICES TO FACILITATE AN EXCELLENT VISITOR EXPERIENCE AND ENHANCE THE VISIBILITY OF ITS MEMBERS.DURING PERIOD JANUARY TO DECEMBER 2023, SAN FRANCISCO TRAVEL'S CONVENTION DIVISION BOOKED FUTURE MEETINGS REPRESENTING 705,301 HOTEL ROOM NIGHTS. THE DIVISION CONTINUED TO REFINE SALES STRATEGIES FOR BOTH CITYWIDE CONVENTIONS AS WELL AS SELF-CONTAINED STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS BUSINESS DURING THE MOSCONE EXPANSION PERIOD.SAN FRANCISCO TRAVEL COMPLETED COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH ON VISITOR ATTITUDES, USAGE, AND VISITATION IN THE DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL MARKETS. SF TRAVEL CONTINUES TO USE THE CUSTOM ECONOMIC IMPACT CALCULATOR MODULE FOR CONVENTIONS, SPORT EVENTS AND SPECIAL EVENT. ADDITIONALLY, SAN FRANCISCO TRAVEL ASSOCIATION CONTINUES TO UTILIZE DATABASE MODELING AND INTELLIGENCE FOR VISITOR VOLUME, PAID NIGHTS AND TOTAL VISITOR SPEND BY COUNTRY AND REGION TO BETTER TRACK ROI OF SALES AND MARKETING SPEND.IN 2023, SAN FRANCISCO TRAVEL PUBLIC POLICY STAFF ALONG WITH THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS CONTINUED TO EDUCATE AND ADVOCATE AROUND ISSUES WHICH AFFECT THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE, AND THEREFORE THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE INDUSTRY. SF TRAVEL SUPPORTED INCREASED FUNDING FOR STREET CLEANING, HOMELESS SERVICES, AND SECURITY, AS WELL AS ADVOCATED FOR ACCOMMODATIONS AND IMPROVED TRANSPORTATION SERVICES TO MEET CLIENT NEEDS.THE MARKETING ORGANIZATION DEVELOPED MARKETING CAMPAIGNS THAT GENERATED MILLIONS OF VISITORS TO OUR VARIOUS WEBSITES IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES. THE GLOBAL PR & MEDIA RELATIONS DEPARTMENT GENERATED NEARLY OVER 1,000 PIECES OF EARNED COVERAGE GLOBALLY.SAN FRANCISCO TRAVEL PUBLISHED THE FOLLOWING DIGITAL TITLES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MILES MEDIA: THE SAN FRANCISCO VISITORS PLANNING GUIDE FOR DISTRIBUTION TO THE TRAVELING PUBLIC AS WELL AS SEVERAL MAP-GUIDES IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES. IN ADDITION, A MEETING PLANNER'S GUIDE AND A TRAVEL PLANNER'S GUIDE ARE ALSO PUBLISHED FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION TO THE MEETING PLANNERS AND PROFESSIONAL TRAVEL PLANNERS DOMESTICALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY. THESE PUBLICATIONS WERE AVAILABLE IN DIGITAL FORMATS THAT COULD BE DOWNLOADED AS PDFS. SAN FRANCISCO TRAVEL'S TOURISM STAFF EXECUTED SEVEN FULLY INTEGRATED PROMOTIONAL MARKETING CAMPAIGNS IN KEY INTERNATIONAL MARKETS, INCLUDING CANADA, UK, GERMANY, AND INDIA. ALL CAMPAIGNS FEATURED A ROOM NIGHT GENERATING COMPONENT. THE TEAM ALSO SUCCESSFULLY RENEWED ITS CONTRACT WITH SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (SFO) FOR INTERNATIONAL MARKETING SERVICES, PROVIDING CRITICAL SUPPORT FOR MANY OF OUR INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS. THE RENEWED CONTRACT, AWARDED AFTER A RIGOROUS RFP PROCESS AND WITH AN ANNUAL AMOUNT OF $1.3M, WAS ISSUED FOR THE PERIOD JAN 1, 2023 - DEC 31, 2027, WITH TWO OPTIONS TO RENEW THE AGREEMENT FOR A PERIOD OF TWO YEARS EACH. STAFF ALSO ATTENDED KEY MISSIONS, TRADE SHOWS, INCLUDING IPW, BRAND USA TRAVEL WEEK AND OTHERS.