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Tourism strong despite flagging economy
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Related Topics: SAN FRANCISCO
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Last year, more than 16 million people visited San Francisco, an increase from 15.8 million in 2006. One of the main factors was All-Star weekend festivities, including FanFest at the Moscone Center.
Tourism is The City’s No. 1 industry, employing 72,360 people who a make a combined salary of $1.95 billion, according to the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
In 2007, 16.1 million visitors came to the City by the Bay, an increase of 2.4 percent over 2006.
The increase can be attributed to an increase of international visitors flocking to the United States to take advantage of the weak dollar, said Angela Jackson, spokeswoman for the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
“International visitors are staying longer and spending more as a result,” Jackson said, noting the strength in hotel occupancy rates. Seventy-nine percent of San Francisco hotel rooms were booked in 2007, up from 76.4 percent in 2006, according to PKF Consulting. The average daily rate for a hotel room was $181.22, another increase from 2006.
Kevin Westlye, executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, said international visitors were buoying local restaurants as local and regional diners dwindle in numbers.
The previous year, 15.8 million tourists roamed sidewalks and took in the sights; that was a slight increase from 2005, according to Convention and Visitors Bureau data. Those 15.8 million visitors pumped $7.76 billion into the local economy, according to the data.
The industry also was helped out in 2007 by a strong convention year at Moscone Center and Major League Baseball’s All-Star weekend at AT&T Park in July when hundreds of thousands came to The City to watch the game’s best battle in the Midsummer Classic. The summer event generated an estimated $65 million in revenue for San Francisco, according to tourism officials.
Comments from Examiner Readers
10:07 AM MST on Fri., May. 30, 2008 re: "Tourism strong despite flagging economy"
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Examiner Reader said:
This is still The City that knows how given the tourist that flock here...but barely. God knows that the Board of Stupervisors could care less about The City...so its time the people that live here take it back. Throw the bums out of office and get people in who care about about The City as a WHOLE...not just their narrow constituents. Than includes Stupervisor DALY (aks Dim Wit of D6". Now if were homeless instead of a renter I could actually get people in DALY'S office to do something about my hood which is completely trashed out and dangerous as hell.
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