San Francisco Travel Association's CEO Tells What Makes The City Great
San Francisco Travel Association's Anna Marie Presutti wants to change people's assumptions about San Francisco by having them see it for themselves.
As its president and CEO, Presutti is not only focused on increasing visitation. As the first woman in this role, Presutti is working toward changing perceptions about the City by the Bay, especially in relation to public safety concerns.
'More often than not, when a tourist or customer would come into the city, they would say [that this is] nothing like what I saw on television,' said Presutti. This is nothing like what we thought it was going to be. It's so much better. And I said, 'we need to really lean into some strategic PR because we have a perception problem at this stage.' '
It's a problem that Presutti began tackling when stepping into this position last year. Originally, she was on the San Francisco Travel Association's search committee tasked with filling this opening. Then she became the interim CEO before being officially appointed last October.
'One month turned into four months, and, the next thing I know, here I am,' said Presutti. 'It wasn't planned. But I think sometimes the best things in life never are.'
Falling In Love With San Francisco
Golden Gate Park is one of many places in San Francisco that visitors can see.
This milestone for Presutti is amid a career in hospitality that began at Walt Disney World in Orlando and flourished in the business side of the hotel sector.
A Midwesterner who studied communications at Missouri State University, Presutti moved to San Francisco almost 25 years ago via a job promotion and transfer.
Prior to the San Francisco Travel Association, Presutti was vice president and general manager of Hotel Nikko San Francisco. That role marked another first for Presutti as the first female in such a role for the parent company, Tokyo-based Nikko Hotels International.
'I wanted to stay in San Francisco once I got here and I immersed myself into the city,' remembered Presutti. 'I decided that this was home and my current role, ironically, was a fluke.'
Seeing Is Believing in San Francisco
"Believe in San Francisco" is the city's latest tourism campaign.
Group room bookings were also a top priority, with convention bookings gradually bouncing back from the global pandemic. However, their citywide projections for 2025 are up with close to 700,000, a significant jump from 2024's total of about 400,000.
Another related MICE push centers on the San Francisco Travel Association's 'Fly for Free' program. A convention team partnership with United Airlines, involving Request for Proposals (RFPs), the program will fly a company sales representative and their guest out to do a site inspection and explore the city.
Consumers remain an important target, too. Unveiled in June, a new video tourism campaign called 'Believe in San Francisco' aims to show how the city has a certain magic about it. The campaign promotes everything—dining, outdoors, history, arts and culture, public transportation, you name it—that San Francisco has to offer.
'San Francisco is one of these unique destinations where you can take the oldest form of transportation, which is the cable car, and share the roadway with the newest form of transportation, which is a driverless vehicle,' explained Presutti.
San Francisco Is For Everyone
San Francisco not only have resident sports teams but it is hosting the Laver Cup in September and ... More then the Super Bowl and FIFA World Cup in 2026.
With an anticipated increase in domestic travel, San Francisco offers accommodations, restaurants and experiences for just about every budget.
There are places to see, from the Presidio Tunnel Tops, to Ferry Building (in which Presutti herself is a big fan), to the Golden Gate Park to Fisherman's Wharf, that don't cost a thing.
Sports are also a driving factor. 2025 for San Francisco kicked off with hosting the NBA All-Star Games, followed by the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament. In September, it will host the Laver Cup, a tennis tournament. 2026 will usher in the Super Bowl and FIFA World Cup.
Nonetheless, for Presutti, the key message is get people to see and experience what San Francisco has to offer—both old and new.
'We're telling people, it's time for you to believe in San Francisco. San Francisco's back.'
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