NBC News has named San Francisco’s @onlyinsf as the #1 most popular city in the United States, based on the number of followers. The San Francisco Travel Association launched their Twitter feed in 2009 and now has over 99,000 followers.
San Francisco ranked above New York City, Las Vegas, Miami and Philadelphia in the number of followers. The complete story is available at http://www.nbcnews.com/travel/travelkit/top-10-cities-were-talking-twitter-1B8040230.
“For us, social media is not about discounting or deals or just accumulating lots of followers. We look to create and share content through social media that our audience is looking for and or is looking to experience,” said Joe D’Alessandro, president and CEO of the San Francisco Travel Association. “We want to give them enough things to fill up their bucket list, so they have their entire vacation mapped out before they even get to San Francisco."
This approach has been successful on Facebook too. After four years of dedication and daily posts, San Francisco Travel recently surpassed 500,000 “likes” or “fans” on the Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/onlyinSF, titled “San Francisco – The Official Guide.”
San Francisco has been a hub of social media since the phenomenon began. Craig Newmark started Craig’s List in Cole Valley, a small neighborhood within the city. Twitter recently moved to San Francisco’s Market Street and Yelp is renovating an historic building (once the tallest building west of the Mississippi) for its new home in the city. Facebook lives just down the road near Stanford University in Menlo Park.
“San Franciscans have always had a lot to share – ideas, stories, food, arts, culture. It’s a natural place for social media to flourish,” D’Alessandro said.
The San Francisco Travel Association is the official tourism marketing organization for the City and County of San Francisco. For information on reservations, packages, activities and more, visit www.sanfrancisco.travel or call 415-391-2000. The Visitor Information Center is located at 900 Market St. in Hallidie Plaza, lower level, near the Powell Street cable car turnaround.
For an insider’s perspective, join more than 500,000 people who follow San Francisco Travel on Facebook at www.facebook.com/onlyinsf. Follow “OnlyinSF” on Twitter at http://twitter.com/onlyinsf.
American Express® is the official Card partner for the San Francisco Travel Association.
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) offers non-stop flights to more than 31 international points on 30 international carriers. The Bay Area's largest airport connects non-stop with 75 cities in the U.S. on 15 domestic airlines. For up-to-the-minute departure and arrival information, airport maps and details on shopping, dining, cultural exhibitions, ground transportation and more, visit flysfo.com. Follow SFO on twitter.com/flysfo and facebook.com/flysfo.
