Posted on 09/10/2023 3:36:29 AM PDT by Libloather
San Francisco has hired a tourism official to encourage travelers to visit the 'the city by the bay' as it battles rampant crime, homeless and drugs crisis.
Josh Beck will be the new president and CEO of The San Francisco Travel Association, and the person that the city's tourism bureau and marketing organization is looking at in hopes of bringing SanFran back to the bustling vacation hub it once was.
Beck, who is currently head of Destination Toronto, will begin his new post on October 30, replacing former head Joe D'Alessandro, who headed the travel organization for nearly two decades and who is set to retire in December.
The city has been hit hard over the last few years by a homeless crisis, rampant drug use and public safety concerns. In August, the city reported nearly 1,670 car break-ins, contributing to the nearly 10,000 thefts from vehicles recorded in the city this year.
During the Labor Day holiday, multiple groups of tourists fell victim to car break-ins that that saw all their personal belongings and passports stolen, which occurred in broad daylight and within minutes of each other at a San Francisco Beach.
Despite these, Beck claims the biggest challenge is the 'ongoing narrative about San Francisco as a monolithic experience, when it's clearly not,' the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Beck claimed the media reports about whether San Francisco is safe is 'not 100 percent accurate,' as per the news outlet.
The city has a massive tourism and hospitality industry that supports more than 53,000 jobs.
While some vacationers have been returning, the flow of tourism has been nothing close to what they city of Frisco saw in 2019 at its peak, and experts claim will take a few years to get back to that level.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Years ago I loved visiting San Francisco, when it was safe. It was expensive but I did receive value for money. They had great hotels, fine restaurants and a beautiful vista by the bay. Today I would not vacation there if the trip and hotel were free.
Josh is about to be accessory before the fact for all crimes against tourists who get fooled by the propaganda and then attacked when they get to the city.
I think the secret is to stay in Sausalito or Tiburon and just look at SF from across the Bay. :)
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