San Francisco has hired a new top tourism official to try to change public perception of the city as it confronts rising crime and rampant drug use.
The San Francisco Travel Association, the Golden Gate City’s tourism and marketing office, has hired Scott Beck, current head of Toronto’s tourism organization, as its new president and CEO, the organization announced Thursday.
Beck, who will take the reins on Oct. 30, told the San Francisco Chronicle that his biggest challenge in the role will be reversing the “current narrative about San Francisco as a monolithic experience, when it clearly is not.”
He added that media coverage of the city’s security is “not 100% accurate.”
In recent years, San Francisco has gained a national reputation as a city overrun by users and flooded, homeless open-air drug markets.
The situation has become so dire that a street guide, later revealed to be a city commissioner before his resignation, attempted to start a “Doom Loop Walking Tour” last month so people could see the urban decay. of the city itself.
Homelessness is one of the biggest problems facing San Francisco today.David G. McIntyre
San Francisco has recently earned a national reputation as a city overrun by users and flooded, homeless open-air drug markets. David G. McIntyre
About 48% of Americans view San Francisco as an unsafe city, according to a recent Gallup poll, The Chronicle reported. Perceptions were significantly divided along partisan lines: 74% of Democrats considered the city safe, while only 32% of Republicans agreed.
While FBI data shows that San Francisco has a relatively low violent crime rate, it has a considerably high overall crime rate, particularly in car thefts targeting tourist vehicles.
Last week, two different groups of tourists had their belongings, including their passports, stolen from their rental cars during a broad daylight robbery while briefly visiting the city’s Ocean Beach. They had only been there for about 10 minutes.
Scott Beck said he wants to address the city’s poor reputation to boost tourism. San Francisco Travel Association
Also this week, a California tourist claimed his French bulldog service animal was stolen “out of fear and force” during a short stay in the city.
Beck said it’s unclear what strategies the organization plans to use to change the city.
The San Francisco Travel Association, which has an annual budget of $33 million, has launched a $6 million global tourism campaign, the largest in its history.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn