San Francisco delegation visits Shanghai

A San Francisco delegation, led by Mayor Daniel Lurie, started a two-day visit of Shanghai on April 19 to bolster cultural and tourism cooperation between the two cities.

The visit marked a significant step in deepening the longstanding friendship and collaboration that have flourished between Shanghai and San Francisco over the past 46 years.

In a vibrant celebration of the Shanghai-San Francisco partnership, the delegation joined a dual-city tourism promotion event at Xintiandi in Huangpu district.

Launched by the United Airlines and San Francisco International Airport, the initiative aims to boost tourism by showcasing the distinctive attractions and cultural experiences in both cities.

"If you look at the numbers in 2025, we had 700,000 passengers travel between China and San Francisco — that's 23 weekly flights to four destinations in China. So it's a very important market for us," said Mike Nakornkhet, director of San Francisco International Airport. "We really see China as a growing market for us. There's a lot of leisure and business travel demand."

The day concluded with an evening cruise along the Huangpu River, where the delegation attended a reception commemorating the 46th anniversary of the Shanghai-San Francisco friendship city relationship.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie participates in a dual-city tourism promotion event at Xintiandi in Huangpu district, Shanghai, on April 19. [Photo by Li Junfeng/chinadaily.com.cn]