The San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau (SFCVB), in
partnership with San Francisco International Airport (SFO), has
opened its second representation office in China, this one in
Beijing. Recognizing potential in the outbound Chinese travel
market, the SFCVB first retained representation services in 1999 in
Shanghai, making San Francisco the first U.S. city to have
representation services in mainland China, officials said.
“Many conventions in San Francisco have a very high percentage
of international attendees, particularly in the medical and
high-tech fields. This segment presents a great opportunity to
expand the delegations that come from China,” said Deborah Reinow,
vice president tourism for the SFCVB. “As China has expanded the
ease in which its citizens can travel abroad, it appears
increasingly likely that the U.S. will receive approved destination
status. This will make travel to the United States much easier and
provide certification to tour operators to offer outbound tours to
the destination. As the restrictions lift, San Francisco will be
the natural beneficiary of exponentially increased traffic.”
SFO currently has 21 nonstop flights from China, including
United Airlines’ daily nonstop service from Shanghai and Beijing
and a nonstop Air China flight from Beijing.
“We are confident that this service will increase over time,”
said Kandace Bender, SFO deputy airport director communications and
marketing. “The new International terminal, opened in 2000, has 24
international gates with easy domestic connections under one roof.
Our airport has garnered a reputation as the preferred gateway to
the U.S. due to its facilities and well-known expedited immigration
processing.”
China has a population of 1.3 billion people it’s estimated that
more than 225 million have the resources to travel internationally
in the near term. In 2005, San Francisco received more than 70,000
visitors from China, and officials said that number is expected to
have double-digit growth annually over the next few years.
The SFCVB, founded in 1909, is San Francisco’s official visitor
promotion agency, working to enhance the city’s economy by
promoting and selling San Francisco as a site for conventions and
tradeshows and as a destination for pleasure travelers. With more
than 1,700 members and an annual budget of $13.6 million, the
bureau is one of the largest membership-based tourism promotion
agencies in the country and employs a staff of 69.
415-974-6900
www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com
The SFCVB’s offices in China:
Beijing Office
East West Marketing Corporation
Room# 25C, CITIC Building
No 19, Jian Wai Da Jie
Chaoyang District
Beijing, China 100004
86-10-655-65515
[email protected]
Shanghai Office
East West Marketing Corporation
Fifth Floor, 218 Yu Yuan Road
Jing An District
Shanghai, China 200040
86-21-624-81335
[email protected]
