San Francisco launches surprising new bid to attract tourists by highlighting crime-plagued city’s most soothing feature

San Francisco is relying on an unusual feature to attract more tourists with a surprising advertising campaign.

The crime-ridden city is in the grip of a homelessness crisis, causing businesses to flee and residents to move away.

In an effort to win back visitors, San Francisco has something unusual up its sleeve: its cold climate.

As parts of the US are in the grip of a dangerous, record-breaking heat wave, the coastal city is touting the gloomy weather and cooler temperatures.

Marketers for Pier 39 have placed billboards in hot inland cities, promising sweaty passersby that “it’s cooler on the Bay.”

While a heat dome sits over the Northeast, cooking more than 170 million Americans in temperatures above 90 degrees, San Francisco bills itself as a safe, cool haven.

The city is known for its fog – generated by the cold sea air and warmer surface – which keeps temperatures low.

Randall Scott, who runs Fisherman’s Wharf in the city, told the Wall Street Journal that he often smiles to his family about the city’s cooler climate.

He said, “They’ll say, ‘God, it’s miserable here,’ and I’ll say, ‘It’s 58 degrees in here,’ and they’ll say, ‘Oh, you’re so stupid!’

Unsuspecting visitors are often surprised by the cold upon arrival, expecting it to be a warm seaside resort.

Cruise operator Chris Vardijan told the Journal: “EEveryone thinks it’s going to be hot, so they come in T-shirts and shorts.’

Visitors Jamie and Kelli Burmeister of Nebraska told the Journal they learned the hard way when they toured Alcatraz on a day when the temperature never rose above 58 degrees in June.

“The wind was the coldest part, we just layered what we got. Back in Omaha, I wear shorts from May to September.”

The weather is an unexpected boon for the cash-strapped city, which has seen rising crime and homelessness rates since the pandemic hit.

However, tourism is increasing and visitor numbers are expected to return to pre-pandemic levels this year.

The crime-ridden city is in the grip of a homelessness crisis, causing businesses to flee and residents to move away

The city is known for its fog – generated by the cold sea air and warmer surface – which keeps temperatures low

There were 26 million visitors in 2019, down to 10 million in 2020 and now expected to reach 24 million this year, according to the San Francisco Travel Association.

Hotels are also taking advantage of the colder weather, promising guests they can find relief from the sweltering heat elsewhere.

San Francisco Hotel Council President Alex Bastian posted on Facebook a U.S. map of the sweltering heat from coast to coast.

He wrote, “If you need a break from the scorching heat, come join us in San Francisco! We have some of the best hotels in the world and free air conditioning.”

Hotel Zelos launched a ‘Beat the Heat in San Francisco’ campaign in 2023, and this year Hotel Castro is reportedly planning to host a Chill in the The Castro promotion after seeing a ‘notable increase’ in guests who were specifically fleeing the intense heat.

Hospitality officials hope the campaigns will help boost visitor numbers after the city entered an ominous spiral in recent years.

Earlier this month, the desolate reality of San Francisco’s hollowed-out city center was laid bare by images showing every store on an entire shopping block closed and empty.

Lloyd Chapman of the American Small Business League visited the city’s once-thriving Union Square area, in the heart of the shopping district.

The prime real estate was once home to stores such as Uniqlo, H&M, Rasputin Records and Lush, but they have all disappeared in a city center plagued by crime, drugs and homelessness.