Posts Tagged ‘Impact’
March 31, 2013 | 
Author San Francisco Travel Association Releases 2012 Economic Impact Figures
San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) March 30, 2013
The San Francisco Travel Association reported today that San Francisco welcomed 16.51 million visitors in 2012, an increase of one percent from 2011. These visitors spent $ 8.93 billion in 2012, up 5.5 percent from the previous year. The data was presented during the eighth annual Northern California Visitor Industry Outlook & Marketing Conference today at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square.
“Visitor spending reached the highest level ever in 2012,” said Joe D’Alessandro, San Francisco Travel president and CEO. “The total number of visitors is climbing steadily as well.”
The tourism industry generated $ 562 million in taxes for the City of San Francisco, up 6.7 percent from the previous year. The number of jobs supported by tourism rose 3.6 percent to 74,009 jobs in 2012, with an annual payroll of $ 2.18 billion, an increase of 6.2 percent.
In 2012, there was an average of 131,128 visitors in San Francisco each day. Visitor spending equated to $ 24.46 million daily (including spending related to meetings and conventions).
Convention bookings were at 48 percent of goal at midyear and are on target to achieve the annual goal of 2,105,500 booked room nights which is a five percent increase over last year. Six conventions in San Francisco have received record breaking attendance in the past six months, continuing a trend that has been tracked since 1998. The likelihood of holding a well-attended event is a significant attraction for meeting planners considering San Francisco.
Among the many things that will keep the momentum going for San Francisco’s tourism industry are:
The Bay Lights, a fine art piece installed on the western span and viewable from San Francisco and points north. The March 5 launch of the lights was covered by media around the world. Measuring 1.8-miles-long and 500-feet-high, the high-tech light sculpture design features 25,000 individually programmable, energy-efficient LED lights mounted on the bridge’s vertical cables. The Bay Lights will remain on the bridge for two years and is projected to add $ 97 million to the local economy. Learn more at http://www.thebaylights.org.
On April 17, 2013, the new Exploratorium, San Francisco’s internationally acclaimed museum of sciences, art and human perception, will open on Piers 15 and 17, located on San Francisco’s historic northern waterfront at Embarcadero and Green streets. The new museum will feature 150 new exhibits, a Bay observatory, outdoor gallery and free civic space. For information visit http://www.exploratorium.edu.
The America’s Cup will bring sailing enthusiasts and media attention from around the world for a series of events:
The Louis Vuitton Cup, the America’s Cup Challenger Series on Jul. 4-Aug. 30, 2013.
The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup, open to national teams of sailors aged 19-23 on Sept. 1-4, 2013.
The America’s Cup Finals between the winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup, the America’s Cup Challenger Series, and the defending ORACLE TEAM USA on Sept. 7-21, 2013. Learn more at http://www.americascup.com.
To help keep San Francisco’s message in front of the leisure travelers that make up 54 percent of the total visitors (vacationers and weekend getaways combined), San Francisco Travel works with strategic partners including American Express®, California Academy of Sciences, CityPASS, Levi’s, Wells Fargo, Pier 39, BART and Amtrak to develop integrated marketing campaigns to increase visitation to San Francisco and enhance visitor engagement in market. In March, San Francisco Travel launched a hotel promotion offering visitors up to 40 percent off their hotel stay, and a $ 50 gift card when two or more nights were booked. The promotion will run through June 30 and can be booked exclusively through the sanfrancisco.travel/stay website.
San Francisco Travel continues its marketing efforts targeting gay and lesbian (LGBT) travelers, a key visitor segment for San Francisco. San Francisco Travel’s gay travel microsite, titled “49 Hours of SF: Out & About,” (http://www.sanfrancisco.travel/lgbt/) offers LGBT focused itineraries, and an “Out with the Locals” section featuring San Francisco residents who provide “insider tips” on what to see and do in San Francisco. GayCities, American Express, and Kimpton Hotels are official sponsors of the campaign. A 2010 survey by Community Marketing, Inc. shows San Francisco to be the #2 overall destination of choice in America for LGBT travelers.
Dine About Town, the annual restaurant promotion developed by San Francisco Travel Association, is celebrating its 12th year in 2013. The program generates an estimated $ 3 million in additional revenue to the city’s restaurants. The second half of the 2013 program will take place June 1-15 with more than 100 restaurants participating.
The San Francisco Travel Association is a private, not-for-profit organization that markets the city as a leisure, convention and business travel destination. With more than 1,500 partner businesses, San Francisco Travel is one of the largest membership-based tourism promotion agencies in the country. The San Francisco Travel business offices are located at 201 Third St., Suite 900, San Francisco, CA 94103. San Francisco Travel also operates the Visitor Information Center at Hallidie Plaza, 900 Market St. at the corner of Powell and Market streets. For more information, call 415-974-6900 or visit http://www.sanfrancisco.travel.
For an insider’s perspective, join more than 500,000 people who follow San Francisco Travel on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/onlyinsf and more than 100,000 who follow “OnlyinSF” on Twitter at http://twitter.com/onlyinsf.
American Express® is the official Card partner of the San Francisco Travel Association.
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) offers non-stop flights to more than 31 international points on 30 international carriers. The Bay Area’s largest airport connects non-stop with 75 cities in the U.S. on 15 domestic airlines. For up-to-the-minute departure and arrival information, airport maps and details on shopping, dining, cultural exhibitions, ground transportation and more, visit flysfo.com. Follow SFO on twitter.com/flysfo and facebook.com/flysfo.
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Note to editors: Photos and press releases are available at http://www.sanfrancisco.travel/media/.
©Copyright 1997-
, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Posted in International Business | 
Tags: 2012, Association, Economic, Figures, Francisco, Impact, Releases, Travel | 
5 Comments »
Financial Choices Made Early have a Tremendous Impact on Later Years
San Diego, CA (PRWEB) September 11, 2012
RoadFish.com men’s lifestyle and finance magazine today released their support of the education of Generation Y while in their twenties, since developing financially responsible habits while in the twenties may prove to be a key to obtaining wealth later in life. RoadFish.com’s take on this may help U.S. consumers, college students, and recent grads realize the impact their financial decisions could have on their later years.
Lawyer and financial blogger Rob Berger recently wrote an article featured in the online financial publication Dough Roller that highlights how the decisions he made in his 20’s had a tremendous affect on his current finances, now that he is in his 40’s. Berger points out that there are many financial habits which are best formed earlier in life, as well as personal finance faux pas that are also better learned earlier as opposed to later. Berger’s article mentions one of the five decisions or acts he did successfully in his earlier years that gave his finances a boost later in life was to maintain a good credit score. Berger states that there was no way to get a free credit score online back in the 90’s, so he actually developed great credit unbeknownst to him through paying bills on time and avoiding debt. He states that it was his high score that helped him to obtain a great interest rate on his first home mortgage and a phenomenal refinance rate, as well as good interest rates on all of his and his wife’s automobile loans.
RoadFish.com emphasizes the importance of developing a good credit history at an early age. RoadFish.com’s Senior staff writer is quoted as saying, “I have been writing articles for weeks about the value in educating kids before they go off to college about the basics of finance, so that they’ve got something to guide them when they leave home. I believe that Berger is right on the money in reporting that good financial habits and wise decisions have the most positive impact on one’s bank account when they are instilled early in life. People go through a lot in their twenties—they graduate college, start a career, get married, maybe start a family. It’s a tumultuous decade, and smart financial moves are critical to the way they conduct themselves later in life.”
In the above-mentioned article, Berger points out the value of a college degree that will actually pay off the loan it took to earn it. He states that a four-year degree from a private college or university can cost close to (if not more than) $ 200,000, the loan for which can be a big burden for years or even decades to come. Berger himself received a law degree in 1992 and graduated with $ 55,000 in loans, which he was able to pay off during his rewarding career, but many post-grads are not so lucky. According to NPR, as of April 2012, student loan debt in the United States surpassed one trillion dollars, which is higher than the nation’s combined credit card debt. The total sum of the nation’s student loan debt first surpassed credit card debt in June 2010, and has only grown since then.
RoadFish.com wholeheartedly agrees that the cost of college degrees at present time should be cause for students to tread carefully when selecting a degree, and try to take out as few loans as possible. RoadFish.com’s Senior staff writer is quoted as saying, “I think my kids will go to community college for a couple of years, then if they really want, go off to a 4-year college and finish out so they can get the name on the degree. Plus there’s always state school. It’s just outrageous to me how much an education costs these days, and it’s horrifying to see that the amount of money spent on a degree definitely does not correlate with the wages that same degree is able to bring in. I think these days more than ever, students have to be selective in choosing their major, so that they can guarantee they’re able to pay back the amount they borrowed for school in a reasonable amount of time. Otherwise you just have debt hanging over somebody’s head for years and years, which is both mentally and financially draining.”
Among the other wise decisions made in his twenties were Berger’s conscious choice to avoid consumer debt, begin investing in a 401(k) early on, and purchasing used and modest vehicles.
About RoadFish.com
RoadFish.com lifestyle and finance magazine is a popular online men’s magazine that regularly includes articles pertaining to travel, lifestyle, and finance. RoadFish.com readers tend to be men in their 30’s and 40’s that have already accomplished worthy professional or personal goals, and are looking to the next big thing. RoadFish.com men’s lifestyle and finance magazine features stories on men’s luxury items, vacation ideas, hot chicks, and financial advice on investments. It also commonly hands out dating advice as well as reviews on hot items for readers, such as luxury watch brands. RoadFish.com is owned and operated by Purpose Inc.
©Copyright 1997-
, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Posted in Debt | Tags: Choices, Early, Financial, Impact, Later, Made, Tremendous, Years | 7 Comments »