Residents Say Tourism Makes San Francisco a Better Place to Live

What's not to love?

Contrary to how you might have treated that Frenchman on the F-Market this morning, San Franciscans seem to love tourists as much as tourists love them.

According to a survey released today, San Francisco residents named tourism the city's most important industry. The survey, which was commissioned by the San Francisco Travel Association, was based on interviews with 400 adult San Francisco residents via telephone. Nearly 78 percent of those surveyed said it's tourism that makes San Francisco a better place to live.

When asked about tourism and city finances, 94 percent said that, without a doubt, they believed those trinket-happy foreigners were a huge benefit to San Francisco's budget. Some 91 percent of those polled said the money that tourists spend eating and exploring the city has probably helped with road repairs, schools, firefighters, and cops.


Joe D'Alessandro, president and CEO of the San Francisco Travel Association, was rather pleased to know that tourists and locals are getting along so well. "It is deeply gratifying to see that the vast majority of San Francisco residents appreciate the important role tourism plays in the economic vitality of our city," he said in a statement.

Most people surveyed also agreed that elected officials should support policies that promote tourism; 76 percent said they'd vote for a mayor who bolstered tourism, and 81 percent said they wanted their district supervisor to truly care about tourism.

Good thing we fancy tourists so well, considering they're not going away anytime soon. Tourism is San Francisco's largest industry, generating in excess of $8.4 billion annually for the local economy while supporting more than 71,000 jobs.

So next time a tourist stops you on Market Street to ask where Alcatraz is, show them on the map, because without their money, we just might have been another Vallejo, or worse -- Stockton.

Follow us on Twitter at @TheSnitchSF and @SFWeekly