Public Affairs

San Francisco Travel's Public Policy Division serves as the voice of the visitor in conversations with city, state, and national leaders.

Our team prioritizes community issues that impact the visitor experience. These include ensuring San Francisco is clean and safe, while also supporting destination development. 

Public Policy Council

The San Francisco Travel Association convenes a partner-driven Public Policy Council once a month whose primary function is to promote the association's mission with respect to issues of public policy. Government representatives are regularly invited to Council meetings to allow members direct access to the officials who are directly involved in responding to the Council's concerns. The Council may take positions on ballot measures, legislation, and regulations that are consistent with its priorities.

The Council's policy guidelines include:

• Promoting San Francisco and the Bay Area as a visitor destination.
• Facilitating travel to and within San Francisco, the Bay Area, and California.
• Promoting and advocating for long-term development projects that positively impact the visitor experience.
• Addressing quality of life issues and their impact on visitation.

In addition to the Public Policy Council, San Francisco Travel’s Policy Division leads and supports key priorities through the following.

Clean and Safe Coalition

San Francisco Travel leads the Clean and Safe Coalition, uniting the voice of the San Francisco business community and many San Francisco neighborhood groups to advocate for clean and safe streets in our city. Our goal is to elevate this issue to the highest levels of city government and support solutions that improve the quality of life for anyone visiting, doing business, and living in San Francisco. 

Homeless Task Force

San Francisco Travel is an active member of the California Travel Association and leads its Homeless Task Force. The Task Force will analyze policies that will reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness and support a clean and safe California.

The Task Force will analyze policies that focus on:

• Measures to ensure that those living, working, and visiting California are welcome and safe.
• Short- and long-term supportive housing opportunities for those currently experiencing homelessness.
• Mental health care to people experiencing homelessness.
• Workforce development opportunities for those experiencing homelessness.
• “Drop-In” day centers with centralized services for those experiencing homelessness

Ongoing Support for Destination Development

San Francisco Travel’s vision is for San Francisco to be the most compelling destination in the world. To achieve this, we strive to develop critical infrastructure that will attract visitors to San Francisco and the region. San Francisco Travel will continue to support projects that are responsive to visitor needs, including:

• Expansion of convention meeting spaces and entertainment venues.
• Development of lodging and accommodations.
• Development of San Francisco International Airport.
• Construction of high speed rail.
• Expanded regional and statewide transportation networks, including ferry service, a second transbay BART tube, and high speed rail.