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 2021, SAN FRANCISCO TRAVEL'S CONVENTION DIVISION BOOKED FUTURE MEETINGS REPRESENTING 485,128 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. THE STUDIES REVEALED 11.8 MILLION VISITORS AND SPENDING OF $2.7 BILLION IN 2021, AS WELL AS INSIGHTS INTO CONSUMER BEHAVIORS WHICH WILL BE USED IN SALES AND MARKETING INITIATIVES. ALSO COMPLETED WERE THE CUSTOM ECONOMIC IMPACT CALCULATOR MODULE FOR CONVENTION, SPORT EVENTS AND SPECIAL EVENT. ADDITIONALLY, SAN FRANCISCO TRAVEL ASSOCIATION COMPLETED 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 2021, 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. STAFF 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 2.9 MM VISITORS TO OUR VARIOUS WEBSITES (10 DIFFERENT SITES IN 10 LANGUAGES). THE MEDIA RELATIONS DEPARTMENT GENERATED OVER 2,700 PIECES OF EARNED COVERAGE GLOBALLY.- SAN FRANCISCO TRAVEL OPERATES A VISITOR INFORMATION CENTER IN MOSCONE CENTER IN DOWNTOWN SAN FRANCISCO, AS WELL CO-BRANDED LOCATION AT MACY'S UNION SQUARE AND THE CALIFORNIA WELCOME CENTER, WHICH KEEPS EXPANDED EVENING AND WEEKEND HOURS. IN Q1 2020, THE MOSCONE CENTER VISITOR INFORMATION CENTER WELCOMED 2,000 VISITORS.- SAN FRANCISCO TRAVEL PUBLISHED THE FOLLOWING 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. IN THE FALL OF 2016, A NEW SEASONAL DIGITAL GUIDE WAS ADDED TO THE PUBLICATIONS MIX, CREATING A NEW "DIGITAL BRIDGE" BETWEEN THE EXISTING PRINTED VISITORS PLANNING GUIDE AND REACH A HIGHER-FUNNEL, OUT-OF-MARKET AUDIENCE IN A COST-EFFECTIVE MANNER.- WITH THE ONSET OF THE PANDEMIC IN 2021 AND THE SUBSEQUENT LOCKDOWN, SAN FRANCISCO TRAVEL'S TOURISM STAFF DEVELOPED AND CONDUCTED A SERIES OF WEBINARS TO STAY ENGAGED WITH AND INFORM THE GLOBAL TRAVEL TRADE. IN ADDITION, STAFF PARTICIPATED IN VIRTUAL PROGRAMS OFFERED BY BRAND USA AND VISIT CALIFORNIA, INCLUDING DEVELOPMENT AND LAUNCH OF BRAND USA'S DIGITAL GLOBAL MARKETPLACE, VIRTUAL TRADE SHOWS AND EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS, AND VIRTUAL FAMS. WITH INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL ABSENT, THE TEAM QUICKLY SHIFTED ITS FOCUS TO THE DOMESTIC TRAVEL TRADE, UPDATED ITS DATABASE AND RAN A SERIES OF DOMESTIC TRADE CAMPAIGNS, AIMED AT GENERATING ROOM NIGHTS. THE TOURISM TEAM PRODUCED AND LAUNCHED SF TRAVEL'S FIRST-EVER PODCAST, "SF TAKES ON TOURISM" THAT ADDRESSES CHALLENGES AND TRENDS IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY. THE TEAM SUCCESSFULLY CONDUCTED AND COMPLETED AN RFP TO CONSOLIDATE SF TRAVEL'S NETWORK OF EUROPEAN AGENCIES INTO ONE LEAD AGENCY. WHILE OUR INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF AGENCIES WAS PAUSED FOR MOST OF 2020, THE TEAM WORKED WITH ALL AGENCIES TO DEVELOP CUSTOMIZED RECOVERY PLANS. IN ADDITION, SEVERAL IN-MARKET PROJECTS WERE RUN WITH SELECT AGENCIES, PRIMARILY FOCUSED ON AVIATION DEVELOPMENT AND TRAVEL TRADE OUTREACH. STAFF ACTIVELY WORKED AND PARTNERED WITH SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO PROMOTE ITS "TRAVEL WELL" CAMPAIGN THROUGH VARIOUS DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL CHANNELS, AND TO REBUILD SFO'S INTERNATIONAL ROUTE NETWORK LOST DURING THE PANDEMIC THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT AND EXECUTION OF CUSTOM IN-MARKET COOPERATIVE PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT THE SERVICE.