Ferries May Play Important Role in Recovery

The September 11th terrorist attack has delivered a roundhouse blow to the Bay Area’s tourism industry, with ferry service, restaurants, hotels and attractions all around the Bay registering precipitous drops on business. Extensive layoffs and closings are anticipated.

The blow comes on the heels of the economic slowdown following the dot-com crash that had already reduced passenger levels on the Golden Gate Ferries as much as 18%, with similar reductions in passenger loads being experienced across the system.

After September 11, Bay Cruises and the Alcatraz service, mainstays of the ferry systems recreational backbone, nose dived. The Red and White Fleet was giving away tickets on its boats, and the Blue and Gold, operator of the lucrative Alcatraz run, is experiencing drops of over 60%.

Restaurants and hotels were hit just as hard, with some reporting drops of 90% in business. Concern is rampant that a return to normal is far off. Tourism, San Francisco’s largest industry, relies on air travel, almost all of which are long-haul flights.

As Bay Crossings went to press, efforts were underway to convene a summit meeting of the Bay Area’s regional convention and visitor’s bureaus, business leaders, port officials and other corporate and civic officials to discuss the pressing situation. High on the agenda is a plan to aggressively promote Bay Area attractions to Bay Area residents. They, like everyone else around the nation, are canceling plans for trips elsewhere and it is hoped that they can be persuaded to plan a trip locally instead.

Ferries will play a crucial role in any such plan and ferry managers were lining up to lend assistance.