Jose Vicente “Tico” Salazar Jr., it was catchy, different and gave the restaurant a unique tang of class and stature, indeed the perfect name for the perfect family restaurant. Bit by bit, piece by piece, each and every detail of VICENTICO’s was put into perfection. Julie Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.Quoting from the restaurant’s website: A once abandoned old residence in one of the main streets of Cabanatuan City was transformed into an elegant and stylish restaurant in over a year. by 21% this month over last month, the Associated Press reported. “Expect getting through customs will take time,” Figone said, adding that “as long as people are vaccinated, respecting personal spaces, wearing a mask and washing our hands, it should be a good time for all.”ĭata from travel and analytics firm Cirium showed airlines are increasing flights between the United Kingdom and the U.S. He urged travelers to plan for extra time in their travel plans. Border restrictions with Canada and Mexico are also relaxing, for vaccinated visitors, and city tourism officials are marketing the Bay Area as a destination in those countries as well.įigone said checking COVID-19 vaccination and testing status for arriving passengers adds another layer of protection. SFO and the San Francisco Travel Agency have paired up to launch a campaign to promote tourism from the United Kingdom, Germany and France, countries that send large volumes of tourists around the world.
The pandemic curbed both business and international travel into SFO, key sectors that will need to rebound in order to reach pre-pandemic arrivals and departures, Figone said.
Before the pandemic, Oakland’s airport had direct flights to and from Europe, and it was too soon to determine whether those will return, she said.Ĭheck the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Area’s largest water districts. The loosening of travel restrictions won’t have an immediate impact at Oakland International Airport where the only nonstop international flights are from Mexico, according to an airport spokesperson. SFO is expected to increase its international airline carriers from 28 to 33 in the last quarter of 2021 - bringing it up to 75% of pre-pandemic levels, according to the S.F. When the Biden administration announced last month that it would lift the travel restrictions, trans-Atlantic bookings for November “beyond exceeded” 2019 levels for the first time since the pandemic started, an airline spokesperson said. Those numbers match the peak from this past summer’s travel season.īut the airline expects the arrivals to keep growing.
United Airlines said the change affects four flights coming into San Francisco Monday - from Munich, Frankfurt, London and Shanghai.Īcross the country, United Airlines is expecting 30,000 international passengers to arrive Monday on mostly full flights, according to an airline spokesperson. “With vaccinations and the government allowing more travel, we’ll see more people,” Figone said. The airport has seen a steady uptick in airline travel since the summer though the numbers are still below pre-pandemic levels, he said Sunday. While last year’s Thanksgiving holiday traffic was “dismal,” this year is expected to bring triple the number of passengers compared to 2020, said Jeff Figone, a duty manager at SFO. Passengers will have to show proof of vaccination in addition to a negative COVID-19 test. San Francisco tourism spending dropped by $8 billion in 2020 because of the pandemic - with the city expected to need until at least 2025 for a full revenue recovery.Īirport officials said it was too soon to know just how many more foreign travelers will arrive, and they will be adding to an already rebounding travel industry.
“The return of international tourists is vital to San Francisco’s economic recovery,” D’Alessandro said in a statement to The Chronicle on Sunday. In 2019, foreign tourists made up about 25% of overnight visitors and 60% of overnight visitor spending. International tourists often stay longer and spend more money, according to the travel association. Welcoming international visitors is crucial for San Francisco’s tourism industry to rebound, said Joe D’Alessandro, president and CEO of San Francisco Travel Association, the city’s tourism bureau. The boost is sorely needed in the Bay Area where San Francisco International Airport lost more passengers during the pandemic than 50 other major airports across the country, according to a recent Chronicle analysis.