Leaving their hearts in San Francisco?

The San Francisco CVB for the first time recently started offering packages in conjunction with hotels and attractions. That, as well as its trade publications and its robust number of fam trips, demonstrates the CVB’s ongoing support of travel agents, according to Deborah Reinow, vice president of Tourism. “There’s a lot of buzz about how the trade isn’t as important anymore because of the internet, etc. But we have never wavered in our belief that there’s a very important place for the trade,” she told TravelMole. The CVB offers various supporting materials, many of which are free such as the “Professional Travel Planners Guide.” The new packages are often centered around popular events such as the Chinese New Year or gay pride events, said Ms Reinow. The packages often represent the diversity of the area, she added. It’s a perennially popular city with its variety of attractions, but visitors who “left their hearts” in San Francisco in the past few years have not been so forthcoming with their wallets. The number of tourists and revenues from tourism has declined in recent times. The area had 15.7 million visitors in 2001, which last year drew 13.7 million, a decline of 12.5%.