As San Francisco begins to reopen, most businesses say a rebound in tourism is key to their survival.
But a new poll is giving everyone a reason to worry, about how the city is perceived. and what effect that perception is having on the city’s most important economic engine.
Along Fisherman’s Wharf on Wednesday, Darrin Bishop with his loved one were visiting from Florida were pleased with their post-pandemic visit to San Francisco.
“We love it. The hills, the parks, everything is beautiful. We just had the best time here,” he said.
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The Bishops said they haven’t heard about the city’s sometimes checkered reputation for safety.
Just weeks ago, our NBC Bay Area crew saw one of the big issues for ourselves when car burglaries are spiking in the city’s tourist hotspots.
Each year, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce conducts a poll to get a glimpse of how people see the city.
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The full results come Thursday but the headline is that residents’ concerns about crime as it continues to climb.
“I don’t think it’s just this pandemic has caused this concern of the streets of San Francisco and our safety in this year’s like in previous years. 8 out of 10, San Franciscans consider crime to worsen in San Francisco. For the second year in a row, 70% of residents feel the quality of life has declined in San Francisco,” said Rodney Fong, of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.
NBC Bay Area asked San Francisco Mayor London Breed about it.
“Part of our response is not just a police response. Our response is just making sure we that we maintain our staffing levels that we get officers out there on the beat. When they make arrests especially in the case of any of the violent crimes that people are held accountable," she said.
And everyone understands what’s at stake.
“This is important for San Francisco businesses. The employees here in San Francisco, 30% of the city’s revenue is from tourism. So, having tourism back in action and 100% in action is vital to our economy. So, we want to make sure our streets are clean and safe for residents and tourists alike,” Fong said.
