San Francisco Tourism Association and Airbnb Visit
Sharing Operational Status and Accommodation Information Expertise
Yeosu City, which has embarked on the first overseas promotion of the 2026 Yeosu World Islands Expo, is maintaining an active schedule from the early stages, including visits to the San Francisco Tourism Association and Airbnb headquarters in the United States.
According to Yeosu City, the Expo promotion team, including Mayor Jeong Gi-myeong and Yeosu City Council Chairman Kim Young-gyu, met with representatives from the San Francisco Tourism Association and Airbnb on the 2nd and 3rd (local time) to promote the hosting of the Islands Expo.
Jeong Gi-myeong, Mayor of Yeosu, Kim Young-gyu, Chairman of Yeosu City Council, and the Island Expo Promotion Team met with representatives from the San Francisco Tourism Association and Airbnb on the 2nd and 3rd of last month, local time in the United States, to promote the Island Expo. Photo by Yeosu City
On the 2nd, the promotion team received a briefing on the history and operations of the association from Paul Frantz, Secretary General of the San Francisco Tourism Association, and officially invited them to visit the Islands Expo.
The San Francisco Tourism Association, with a history of over 100 years, initially started as a city tourism development special zone but now collaborates with the city government in tourism policy planning and promotion, aiming for "sustainable tourism development."
The operating budget is covered by receiving 1 to 2.25% of local hotel room accommodation fees, and the association also plays an important role in the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) industry.
On the 3rd, the team visited the Airbnb headquarters, which provides global accommodation sharing services, and held a meeting with Marina Moret, Director of Strategic Planning.
The promotion team decided to actively utilize Airbnb’s expertise in related fields, as providing safe and comfortable accommodation information is necessary during the Expo period. Previously, Airbnb collaborated with the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee in 2021 to provide accommodation information during the Tokyo Olympics.
Mayor Jeong Gi-myeong of Yeosu said, “San Francisco has many similarities with our Yeosu, not only in industries represented by IT but also in the significant role of the tourism industry,” adding, “The Tourism Association has a long history and plays an important role in city tourism policies, and we plan to actively review parts that can be introduced to our city.”
Chairman Kim Young-gyu of the Yeosu City Council said, “It was refreshing that a certain percentage of hotel room accommodation fees are used as the operating budget for the city tourism association,” and added, “We will conduct institutional reviews to see if such overseas cases can be reflected in Yeosu City.”
Meanwhile, the promotion team plans to continue their promotional activities by moving to Los Angeles from the 5th (local time).
Yeosu = Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Choi Cheol-hoon hss79@asiae.co.kr
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