The San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau (SFCVB), in partnership with San Francisco International Airport (SFO), has expanded San Francisco's official travel website to offer essential visitor information and resources in seven languages: French, German, Italian, Korean, Spanish, Mandarin, and Japanese. The SFCVB, in association with SFO, first launched its Japanese Web site in 2000 and a Chinese language Web site in December 2007.
“The SFCVB’s new foreign language pages will provide international visitors with an even warmer welcome to San Francisco,” says Deborah Reinow, vice president of tourism for the SFCVB. “By offering visitor information and travel tips in the languages of our visitors, it will be easier to plan individual itineraries to ensure a more enjoyable and memorable San Francisco experience.”
Each website includes essential travel information most requested by international visitors to plan and navigate a trip to San Francisco; including information about currency exchange; transportation to San Francisco from SFO, with a link to SFO’s website which includes to the-minute departure and arrival information, airport maps and details on shopping, dining, ground transportation and more; transportation within the city and to the surrounding areas; hotel listings and online reservations; a list of wedding resources including how to obtain a marriage license at San Francisco’s City Hall; a calendar of events; information about San Francisco neighbourhoods including shopping, restaurants, nightlife, and arts and culture; as well as helpful suggestions on trip planning and attending conventions. Each site links back to the SFCVB’s main site, providing visitors with more comprehensive information.
In 2008, San Francisco welcomed 16.4 million visitors, an increase of 1.7 percent over 2007. International travel recorded by SFO show that nearly 4.5 million passengers arrived into SFO in 2008 from international destinations. In addition, historically, over 25 percent of total hotel occupancy in San Francisco stems from visitors from outside the U.S.
“By developing these micro sites, the SFCVB, in partnership with SFO, is aggressively moving forward to embrace the anticipated rebound and growth of international markets in the coming years,” adds Reinow.
The SFCVB has offices in 11 countries, including China, Japan, Korea, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, India, Australia, Argentina, and Brazil.
