Tourism, the city's largest private-sector
employer, is the backbone of the San Francisco economy. Its frequent portrayal
in music, film, and popular culture has made the city and its landmarks
recognizable worldwide. It is the city where Tony Bennett "left his
heart," where the Birdman of Alcatraz spent many of his final years, where
Rice-a-Roni was said to be the favorite treat, and where Full House, a popular
American sitcom was set. San Francisco attracts the fifth-highest number of
foreign tourists of any city in the U.S., ranks 44th out of the 100 most
visited cities worldwide,, and claims
