San Francisco Travel Is Partnering With Lyft
The new partnership marks the first collaboration between a ridesharing app and a DMO/CVB in the U.S.
by Deanna Ting
During a panel held at the Meeting Professionals International World Education Congress in San Francisco, news broke about a partnership between the San Francisco Travel Association and Lyft, the popular ridesharing app that got its start in 2012.
"Now we have a partnership with Lyft," said Joe D'Alessandro, president of the San Francisco Travel Association, at a panel titled, "What's Mine Is Yours: The Evolution of Travel Through the Shared Economy."
Last month, San Francisco Travel formed a "destination promotion partnership" with Airbnb and D'Alessandro and fellow panelist, David Estrada, Lyft's vice president of government relations, hinted that their new partnership would work in a similar manner.
D'Alessandro added, "If the customers want it [shared economy applications like Lyft and Airbnb], we need to find a way to make it work for everybody -- to open our minds and eyes up and open it up."
Estrada and Michael Masserman, director of international government relations at Lyft, said that the official announcement and additional details regarding the partnership will be revealed on Tuesday, Aug. 4, in San Francisco.
San Francisco Travel's recent partnerships with Airbnb and Lyft are strong signs that the meetings, hospitality, and tourism industries are beginning to try to work with collaborative consumption companies.
Earlier this year at IBTM America, Airbnb's Senior Business Development Lead Michael Brous spoke about how Airbnb wants to work more with destination marketing organizations, convention and visitors bureaus, and meeting planners. The company also recently expanded its business travel program worldwide.