Hordes of tourists have returned to San Francisco's Pier 39, after two slow years due to the pandemic.

Henry Tobar, pictured outside his office on Pier 39 in San Francisco, is the general manager of "Only in San Francisco," a popular destination for tourists buying keepsakes and sweatshirts.

"Only in San Francisco" sells knick-knacks and sweatshirts to tourists on Pier 39.

Many tourists visiting San Francisco find that they need a sweatshirt to combat the frigid summer temperatures. 

A double-decker bus with tourists turns onto Jefferson Street at Fisherman’s Wharf.

Tourists walking along Jefferson Street at Taylor Street by the famous Fisherman’s Wharf sign as seen on Thursday.

Diners line up at the Crab Station at Fisherman's Wharf.

Marina McPhail from San Francisco dances with her friend Dukes Plum, who is visiting from Connecticut, to street musician Les Edwins at Fisherman’s Wharf on Thursday.

Hordes of tourists have returned to San Francisco's Pier 39, after two slow years due to the pandemic.

Henry Tobar, pictured outside his office on Pier 39 in San Francisco, is the general manager of "Only in San Francisco," a popular destination for tourists buying keepsakes and sweatshirts.

"Only in San Francisco" sells knick-knacks and sweatshirts to tourists on Pier 39.

Many tourists visiting San Francisco find that they need a sweatshirt to combat the frigid summer temperatures. 

A double-decker bus with tourists turns onto Jefferson Street at Fisherman’s Wharf.

Tourists walking along Jefferson Street at Taylor Street by the famous Fisherman’s Wharf sign as seen on Thursday.

Diners line up at the Crab Station at Fisherman's Wharf.

Marina McPhail from San Francisco dances with her friend Dukes Plum, who is visiting from Connecticut, to street musician Les Edwins at Fisherman’s Wharf on Thursday.

Henry Tobar's office sits in the back left corner of Pier 39, a flight of stairs up from the sourdough bowls and crab sandwiches. You can hear the sea lions barking out on the docks in the adjacent marina when they're not drowned out by a howling summer wind. It's a cramped little space that's really more of a warehouse than anything else. Stacks of sweatshirts line the walls, waiting for the next dimwit tourist to realize they bought a ticket to S.F., not L.A. 

And that's why I sought the man out. I wanted to find out whether tourists are coming back to San Francisco. Now, you can ask The City for the official numbers, which I did, but decided to go right to the source. The guy who sells the sweatshirts.

Tobar, 42, is the general manager for the "Only in San Francisco" chain of tourist shops, which have two outlets on Pier 39. Sure enough, he confirmed that sales are way up. He's selling over 1,000 a month. Like everything else post-pandemic, they're more expensive. The bottom-of-the-line "San Francisco" sweatshirt costs $34.99 this summer. A couple years ago Tobar was selling them for $24.99. You do the math. 

"You know, when people think about California, in general, they think about warm weather and palm trees," said Tobar. "And San Francisco, it's a windy city and it gets cold here."

Now, you could attribute the sales spike to the fog. This has been an absolutely frigid "no sky July." But that's nothing new. The number of tourists returning to San Francisco is the story.

"We can definitely see the big crowds back," said Tobar. "Now, with the fewer restrictions, we're seeing more of the European traffic. We still haven't seen the Asians return. But a lot of the Europeans are back, along with people from Latin America. (Tourism) is definitely better than the last two years."

According to the latest figures from the San Francisco Travel Association, Tobar's observations are backed by the data. The trade group that tracks and promotes tourism in town tells me hotel occupancy rates surpassed 74% in June, which is 72% better than June of 2021. They're even seeing a return of convention business, although that's got a long way to go. They have 35 events at Moscone this year, with 316,486 attendees expected. Those attendees have 362,621 room nights blocked out, according to San Francisco Travel, which sounds like a lot. But pre-pandemic, San Francisco would host 70-plus meetings, or conventions, a year.

“It’s not back to where it is pre-pandemic, but it’s picking up,"  said Hubertus Funke, the chief tourism officer at the San Francisco Travel Association, regarding our convention business. "I think we’ll have to see what will happen. In many cases we’ve seen hybrid programs, with an in-person component and a virtual component. There’s a value to in-person interaction, especially now after several years of virtual gatherings. We’ll have to see how companies respond to that. We’ll have to see whether the hybrid model is here to stay. I personally believe there will be a pivot towards in-person." 

In terms of overall spending and visitation, The City is forecast to attract 21.9 million visitors in 2022, which amounts to 84% of 2019 levels. Overall visitor spending is expected to grow from $3.1 billion in 2021 to $6.1 billion in 2022, which represents 63% of 2019 levels.

According to the organization, "In 2022, we expect to see an increase in domestic and international travelers, primarily from the U.K., Europe, Mexico, Canada and India, with a forecast of 1.38 million international visitor arrivals in 2022."

Funke put a finer point on it.

“We certainly seeing a return of tourism, especially from international markets," said Funke, who might just have the best name in all San Francisco. "Pre-pandemic, international tourism was really, really important for San Francisco in terms of spending and impact. We’re seeing a return of visitors, primarily from the European market. I hear French and German on the streets every day."

What about the Americans? Are they coming back? 

“Domestic (tourism) is still really, really strong," he said. "The international piece is what was missing."

And, like Tobar said, a big piece of that piece is still missing. Asian tourists remain largely absent from our streets, due to lingering restrictions and outbreaks in places like China, Korea and Japan. 

“San Francisco was always one of those favorite destinations for European travelers. There are no restrictions anymore, with the U.S. lifting its requirement for a negative COVID test. That was the last barrier. So what we’re seeing is pent-up demand," said Funke. "That does not hold true for some of our Asian markets. China is still pretty much closed for travel. We’re seeing a little uptick in Korea and Japan. Canada and Mexico have been strong. But in terms of impact, we’re seeing Europe as having the top impact.'

The main questions for most tourists considering a visit surround safety and homelessness. I just got back from Europe and I can't tell you how many people asked me about our situation. They'd heard horrible things. One guy asked if they're really stealing people's dogs on our streets. I told him the truth: "Um... Yeah, every once in awhile." 

That's a pretty big problem, whether reality or perception. From my own travels around town this week, I can report that most of our tourist spots are pretty clean. Even Union Square, which got quite dodgy during the pandemic, is looking a better. Just don't head toward City Hall. 

I asked Funke whether The City was working to address the issue to his organization's satisfaction, and he played it politic. 

“We voice these concerns all the time," he said. "We have a great relationship with City Hall. One of our main objectives is to have a seat at the table and have a voice… when it comes to any policy decisions.  And it’s an ongoing conversation and dialog, and certainly there’s room for improvement."

But what does he hear from visitors? 

“It’s one of those ongoing questions. In the case of San Francisco, the situation around homelessness and street conditions is one we share with other cities as well," said Funke. "There’s more media focus on San Francisco, whether it’s for political or other reasons. While the conditions continue to be a concern, I think visitors can have and will have a great experience in San Francisco."

"Visiting a big city, there are aspects that may not be pretty," he said. "We certainly don’t want to mask that. We are very keen on making sure visitors have a safe and pleasant experience."

To that end, San Francisco Travel introduced "Welcome Ambassadors" to greet tourists in the Union Square area, offering directions, advice and a helping hand. Funke says it's been well-received. I have no idea, really. But it's a step in the right direction — one of many San Francisco needs to take to win back tourists, and their dollars.

Perhaps the best tourism idea I heard all week came from longtime San Francisco press agent Lee Houskeeper , who called me from a cab heading crosstown. His driver told him that he's had a ton of riders who are visiting from places like Arizona and Texas. They've come to escape the nationwide heat wave. As Housekeeper put it, San Francisco should market itself as a "climate tourism" destination. 

I can see it now. "Sick of sweltering heat? Come to San Francisco ... without a sweatshirt." 

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The Arena, a column from The Examiner’s Al Saracevic, explores San Francisco’s playing field, from politics and technology to sports and culture. Send your tips, quips and quotes to asaracevic@sfexaminer.com. Sign up for his weekly newsletter here. And follow him on Twitter @alsaracevic. 

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