San Francisco Chinatown ready for large crowds during APEC Summit
SAN FRANCISCO -- Community members and merchants in San Francisco's Chinatown are making a big push to attract international tourists who will be in the city for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Week to visit their neighborhood.
As a community that has historically relied heavily on tourism, Chinatown was one of the neighborhoods hit hardest by the economic effects of the pandemic.
Ed Siu, the chairman of the Chinatown Merchants United Association of San Francisco, said the area is recovering and things are getting better but Chinatown is still a way off from being the booming, vibrant community it was in the world before COVID.
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"We want more tourists coming back here. We want to refresh everything in Chinatown, hope Chinatown gets more busy, with more people and more tourists coming in," he said.
Chinatown merchants and community members are hoping to capitalize on the tourism boost that APEC will bring. They're hosting numerous events throughout the week, and in collaboration with the city's production studio, they released a video promoting the neighborhood ahead of APEC.
But Siu said he is concerned road closures that will be in place for APEC may end up making it difficult for the neighborhood to tap into the tourism boom.
"We're close to Moscone Center. We're close to a lot of major hotels around the area, during that time there will be a lot of streets blocked off," he said. "We have a lot of merchants who are worried that business cannot get through during that period of time."
District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin, however, had some reassuring words for the community members.
"Let me send a very clear message: Chinatown will be wide open and easy to get to," said Peskin.
Peskin, who is also the president of the board of supervisors and whose district includes Chinatown, said transportation links will be in place — There just may be some detours.
"The subway will be running, the buses will be running, the parking garages are going to be open," he said. "There will be a few detours. But the 45, the 30, the 8, they're all going to be working."
Peskin called APEC a, "once-in-a-century kind of event." Just as the city is putting its best foot forward, he said the Chinatown community is doing the same.
"Chinatown is putting on a non-stop show," Peskin said. "There is going to be lion dancing, there is going to be art and cultural activities, there is going to be a night market. This is going to be a Chinatown that is packed with programming and packed with fun."
While Siu remains anxious that getting to Chinatown will be problematic, he said APEC should show the world that San Francisco is open for business and that should help bring more tourism back to his neighborhood.
"We're expecting next year we'll be getting more tourists coming in because right now we're getting more flights coming back to San Francisco," he said.