Travel Bulletin heard from Joe DAlessandro, president & CEO of the San Francisco Travel Association, on what makes the city such an easy sell for agents.
A long-favoured stop on any West Coast roadtrip or California bucket-list trip, Joe elaborated on what makes San Francisco so well-positioned for aspirational travel: "It’s a great place to either begin or end your trip.
"Our recommendation is, when you get to San Francisco, park your car and hit the street. It’s a very walkable city, so most everything you want to do you can on foot or on public transport.
"San Francisco is about 5% of the size of LA, but its the second most densely-populated city in North America to Manhattan. Everything guests might want to do is accessible by foot, public transportation or rideshare."
And once clients arrive and hit the streets of the City by the Bay?
"There’s a couple of really unique things to highlight. The most-attended National Park in the States, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, includes the Presidio, Alcatraz, and some of the most iconic visual motifs associated with California. That famous view of San Francisco through the Golden Gate Bridge is now part of the National Park.
"If all that isn't enough, it's one of the only National Parks that you don’t pay to enter. It's such a big part of the city that whether it's top of their bucket list or not, clients will end up exploring it in one way or another."
On his personal San Francisco must-do, Joe suggested: "I'd recommend riding a bike across the Golden Gate Bridge. It's a definitive California experience."
Taking a bite of the Bay Area are another must: "We currently have 60% of all Michelin stars in California. That really speaks to the bounty of harvest that is in and around the Bay Area; whether it's the seafood, locally-grown produce, or all our different communities the North Beach's strong Italian past to Chinatown... that's a great way to really experience the taste of the state and begin or end a trip on the best note possible."
If that doesn't make San Francisco an easy enough sell, a host of San Fran experiences are bookable and commissionable through the trade.
"All of our products are very easy to access for agents, from the attractions to the bicycles across the Golden Gate Bridge. They’re bookable online and most places are commissionable. A great upsell is the CityPASS, where guests can enjoy all the museums, city tours, attractions and a whole lot more.
"San Francisco is very easy for travel agents to sell and book."
