The Balloon Museum, Wednesday, June 4th, 2025
Jillian D'Onfro approached the Guild early last week about interviewing tour guides for her article. I referred her to Sharon Traeger, Alison Merrill, and Blandina Farley. I thought that they could give a catbird's seat view of the state of our tourism from different vantage points. It seems that only Sharon made the cut
Visitor expectations are catching up to the city's changing reality.
By Jillian D’Onfro Published Jun. 06, 2025 • 6:00am - The San Francisco Standard
When Allan Graves and his team at Love Tours load visitors into the company’s hand-painted psychedelic Volkswagen “hippie bus” to drive them around San Francisco, they don’t just cruise past landmarks like Haight-Ashbury and the Painted Ladies.
Alongside the attractions and pretty vistas, Graves makes a point of taking guests through “the heart of the Tenderloin” so they see the city’s grittier corridors.
Except lately, the neighborhood’s struggles haven’t felt nearly as conspicuous. The streets are cleaner, and the number of “highly visible transient individuals” has declined, Graves said. A year ago, guests would remark on how the scenes unscrolling outside the bus didn’t fit the “doom loop” narrative they’d seen on TV. Now, he said, they’re struck by the general cleanliness and order — an indication, he believes, that San Francisco has shrugged off its role as national punching bag.
And word seems to be getting around. Booking revenue for his 13-year-old company is in recovery from its post-pandemic slump: “We’re in the higher thresholds, maybe even projecting toward 2019 numbers,” he said.
Talk to any local guide or tour company operator, and you’re likely to hear the same: After years in which the average traveler’s perception of San Francisco was that it was to be feared, if not outright avoided, the reality of plummeting crime rates and less clogged sidewalks is being noticed.
But you’ll also hear concern that the momentum is temporary. The Trump administration’s program of tariffs and visa cancellations, as well as a new ban on travelers from certain countries, is “making our friends feel like foes,” as Graves put it — and giving would-be visitors from abroad pause, even about coming to a deep-blue city.
Tourists are loving SF’s glow-up. Just ask the tour guides
Greg