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When affluent tourists visit San Francisco, where do they stay, how do they get around and what do they want to see and do?
Hi there, and thank you for your request for affluent travel to San Francisco, including where high-earning tourists stay, what they do and how they get around in the city.
Affluent travelers to San Francisco tend to do either day or overnight trips and stay in high-end hotels - though they also prize authenticity in their travels and will consider (or stay at) Airbnbs.
In terms of what to do, they prize experiences over things, so will give priority to tours and immersions over shopping - the most usual activities are sightseeing, dining and arts & culture.
I elaborate on my findings below.
METHODOLOGY & NOTES
In order to answer your query, I consulted several sources on luxury travel and San Francisco, looking for stats and qualitative information on affluent tourism to the city. However, after consulting sources like San Francisco Travel, the San Francisco Center for Economic Development, Forbes, Smart Meetings, Just Luxe, Luxury Travel Magazine, Travel Agent Central, the San Francisco Examiner, Amadeus, and the San Francisco Comptroller, I found myself with a distinct lack of data specific to luxury travel to San Francisco - most sources focus on either luxury travel in general, or travel to San Francisco in general.
Therefore, in order to give you a snapshot of what affluent travelers look for in the city, I have blended information from several of these sources and applied stats relating to luxury travel to travel in San Francisco. Please note that the information below is an estimation, and should be taken as such.
The lack of information is most notable when it comes to finding out the usual means of transportation of luxury travelers - or any other sort of traveler, in fact. The sources consulted did not include any information of the sort, and any mention of intra-city transportation referred to locals (of which few use Uber or Lyft, actually).
SAN FRANCISCO TRAVEL STATS
San Francisco has experienced an uptick in tourism. The city received 25.2 million visitors in 2016, up 2.8% compared to 2015 and 42.3% up compared to 2007.
These travelers spent collectively US$9.7 billion, or US$384.92 per traveler. They also left US$2,025 per local household in taxes in 2015.
San Francisco is usually a short stop: most travelers (59%) stay just during the day, with the rest being split between those who stay one night or several. This is particularly pertinent to luxury travels, who are usually short on time and high on spending capability, or luxury business travelers who stay for a few days after their work trip.
Of those visitors who stay overnight, 62% stay in hotels - of which high level to luxury hotels experienced the highest occupancy: 83.6% and 82.9% in 2015.
In terms of affluent travelers, they usually fall in three typical types. The most common kind is the luxury business traveler (31%), who usually adds a couple of days of leisure after their work trip; followed by high-on-cash, low-on-time travelers (24%) and occasional luxury trip (20%).
The needs of these travelers are different: traditional luxury travelers will have higher expectations and be less open to recommendations, whereas occasional luxury travelers will be more open to itineraries but with a tighter budget.
WHERE AFFLUENT TRAVELERS CHOOSE TO STAY IN SAN FRANCISCO
Affluent travelers tend to prize San Francisco hotels. Among the city's hotels, those of higher-price and luxury are the most booked - with price tags starting at US$125, and often over US$200, a night, these hotels are often off-limits to non-affluent travelers.
However, it should also be noted that luxury travelers, particularly if they are on the younger side, value authenticity over anything else in their travels - they would choose a locally-owned boutique hotel, and not rule out a luxury property on Airbnb.
WHAT AFFLUENT TRAVELERS CHOOSE TO DO IN SAN FRANCISCO
In terms of travel planning, high-earning travelers are more likely than other travelers to delegate the research to a tourism service: these travelers are 2.3 times more likely than other travelers to work with an offline, traditional travel agency.
Affluent travelers, especially if they fall within the Millennial generation, prize experiences over material things. They would much sooner take a guided tour of Alcatraz or a visit to a nearby winery over a shopping session.
Bluxury (business travelers on a luxury trip) prize sightseeing (exploring the usual landmarks, including Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39), dining and arts and cultural activities.
To wrap up, affluent travel to San Francisco tends to veer on the short-stay side, with hotels being the preferred accommodation and sightseeing, dining and the arts being the preferred activities.
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