San Francisco Travel

What San Francisco Travel does

San Francisco Travel Association is the official destination marketing organization (DMO) for the City and County of San Francisco, established in 1962 and operating as a private nonprofit headquartered at One Post Street, Suite 2700. The organization markets San Francisco to three primary segments: leisure visitors, professional meeting planners organizing conventions and corporate events, and travel-trade professionals (tour operators, agents, and wholesalers). Its core product is the sftravel.com portal, available in eight languages (English, Spanish, German, French, Japanese, Korean, Italian, Portuguese), offering visitor guides, neighborhood exploration, attraction information, and integrated booking via partnerships with Tiqets (attractions) and Booking.com (hotels). Specialized platforms extend this base for meeting planners (venue search, RFP submission, virtual-reality venue tours) and travel trade (planner's guides, venue/supplier search, Star Training).

Name

San Francisco Travel

Legal name

San Francisco Travel Association

Website

https://sftravel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

San Francisco Travel Association is the official destination marketing organization for the City and County of San Francisco, operating sftravel.com to provide visitor information, attraction bookings, meeting-planner tools, and travel-trade resources for leisure visitors, convention planners, and tourism professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Destination Marketing and Convention Services

NAICS

Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591), Tour Operators (56152)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Destination Management (Ground Handling & Onsite Operations) (THAHADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Experiential & Cultural Programming (Tours, Activities, CSR/Voluntourism) (THAHADAF), Corporate Hospitality & VIP Services (Hosting, Protocol, Concierge) (THAHADAG), Incentive Travel Design & Rewards Programs (THAHADAB)

Keywords

• Destination marketing services
• Convention sales support
• Visitor information platform
• Travel trade resources
• Tourism promotion services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Three-level membership program offering benefits, tools, and access to San Francisco Travel resources for tourism-related businesses including hotels, attractions, restaurants, and tour operators
2. Attraction Passes and Tickets: Commission-based revenue through partnerships with Tiqets and Booking.com for online attraction tickets and hotel reservations
3. Advertising and Sponsorship: Advertising opportunities on digital platforms and in publications, plus sponsorship packages for events and programs

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

San Francisco Travel Association is the official destination marketing organization (DMO) for the City and County of San Francisco, providing free visitor information, attraction tickets, and hotel booking access via its sftravel.com platform. It operates a three-tier membership program for local tourism businesses, a convention sales and services division that supports meeting planners with RFPs, site visits and citywide event coordination, and a global tourism division serving travel trade professionals worldwide.

Product overview

San Francisco Travel operates the official destination marketing platform for the City and County of San Francisco. The core offering is the sftravel.com website providing visitor information, complemented by specialized platforms for meeting planners (venue search, RFP submission, VR tours), travel trade professionals, and media. Key products include the San Francisco Martini Trail, Attraction Passes/Tickets sold via Tiqets integration, the Hit Replay Grateful Dead puzzle app, and membership programs. The organization also publishes official guides (Meeting Planner's Guide, Travel Planner's Guide) and resources like the Bay Area Super Bowl & FIFA World Cup Playbook for major events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• San Francisco Travel Official Website (sftravel.com) The official visitor information portal for San Francisco providing comprehensive travel planning resources, attraction information, neighborhood guides, event listings, and booking capabilities in 8 languages for leisure visitors worldwide.
• Meeting Planner Tools A suite of planning tools for meetings and conventions including venue search, RFP submission, convention calendar, maps, and planning guides tailored for professional event organizers sourcing meetings in San Francisco.
• Virtual Reality Tours Immersive VR tours of meeting spaces and hotels, allowing meeting planners to virtually inspect venues before booking site visits.
• Travel Trade Resources Portal B2B portal providing resources for travel trade professionals including planner's guides, maps, venue and supplier search, the Travel Trade Newsletter, and access to the Star Training program for group travel planning and luxury experiences.
• Membership Program Three-tier recurring membership offering benefits, networking opportunities, educational resources, and advertising opportunities for tourism-related businesses in San Francisco including hotels, attractions, restaurants, and tour operators.
• San Francisco Martini Trail A curated cocktail trail featuring iconic martini spots throughout San Francisco, inviting visitors to explore the city's legendary cocktail culture across 25 stops (after 2026-06-18 expansion).
• Attraction Passes and Tickets Discounted passes and tickets to San Francisco attractions, sold online via a private-label booking engine partnership with Tiqets International B.V., with hotel reservations provided through Booking.com.
• Hit Replay Podcast Puzzle App A first-of-its-kind podcast puzzle app celebrating 60 years of Grateful Dead in San Francisco, featuring weekly live challenges and rare audio clips, available on iOS and Android.
• Star Training Training and certification program for travel trade professionals that enhances their knowledge of San Francisco attractions, services, and destination offerings, delivered via a mobile training platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• 39 Michelin stars at 26 restaurants in San Francisco (2026)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• San Francisco 49erscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 November 2025Strategic partnership leveraging the 49ers' powerful brand and international fanbase to activate SF Travel's marketing through in-season content and official global events. San Francisco Travel also listed as a supporting partner for 49ers 2025 NFL Playoffs.
• Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 July 2025First formal partnership between ALHI and a city destination marketing organization. Designed to attract more meetings, incentives, and conference business to San Francisco through combined sales representation efforts.
• Pantheon MediaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 July 2025Hit Replay podcast puzzle app collaboration celebrating 60 years of Grateful Dead in San Francisco with weekly challenges and rare audio content.
• United AirlinescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFly Free to SF program offers up to two complimentary United Airlines flights for site visits when sourcing new group meeting business. Partnership enables meeting planner site inspections.
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerProvides nonstop service to more than 65 U.S. cities on 22 domestic airlines and to 32 international points on 27 international carriers. Key transportation partner for visitors.
• Tiqets International B.V.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrivate-label booking engine providing online reservations and ticketing transactions for attractions through sftravel.com links. Handles secure payment processing for ticket purchases.
• Booking.comcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline accommodation reservation partner providing booking links on digital platforms for hotel and short-term rental properties in San Francisco.
• Brand USAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFederal-state destination marketing partnership promoting USA as international travel destination with SF as featured destination.
• Visit CaliforniaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerState-level tourism marketing partnership promoting California experiences including San Francisco attractions and destinations.
• BARTableminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBART rail system partner promoting sustainable transportation options for visitors arriving via San Francisco International Airport.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Visit California: State-level destination marketing organization for California that promotes the state including San Francisco. Operates with a much larger budget and broader geographic scope, making it both an upstream partner and a competitive attention-share entity for SF Travel.
• Brand USA: National DMO promoting inbound travel to the United States. SF Travel is a co-marketing partner and frequently a featured destination within Brand USA campaigns, making it a relevant ecosystem peer.

Direct peers

• NYC & Company (NYC Tourism + Conventions): The official DMO for New York City, performing the same core functions as SF Travel: leisure visitor information, convention sales, travel trade outreach, and membership programs. Most directly comparable US city-level DMO at a similar scale.
• Choose Chicago: Official DMO for Chicago providing visitor information, convention sales, and travel trade services. Closely comparable in structure, mission, and product mix to SF Travel as a major US city DMO.
• Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board: Official DMO for Los Angeles with comparable leisure visitor, convention, and travel trade functions. Competes with SF Travel for share of California inbound tourism and major event hosting.
• Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA): Official DMO for Las Vegas with strong convention sales emphasis and event-driven marketing approach. Comparable structure and DMO model, with heavier convention and trade show focus.
• Visit Orlando: Official DMO for the Orlando region with comprehensive convention sales, travel trade, and leisure visitor programs. Comparable in DMO structure and emphasis on mega-attractions and event-driven visitation.
• Visit Denver (Denver Convention & Visitors Bureau): Official DMO for Denver with convention sales, visitor information, and travel trade functions. Comparable mid-size US city DMO model with similar member-driven structure.
• Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau: Official DMO for the Greater Boston region providing convention sales, leisure visitor content, and travel trade resources. Comparable mix of convention, leisure, and trade functions to SF Travel.

Others

• Tripadvisor: Large user-generated travel content and reviews platform. Not a DMO but a key indirect competitor for trip-planning attention and a reference point for SF Travel's content and SEO strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/onlyinsf
• Instagraminstagram.com/onlyinsf
• Facebookfacebook.com/onlyinsf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/san-francisco-travel-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about San Francisco Travel