4 min read January 2024 — San Antonio is becoming a global brand with unique tourist attractions, including San Antonio icons, such as the River Walk and Alamo. “San Antonio is unlike any other city in the world. We embrace and have carefully preserved our history and culture yet are growing and evolving faster than any other city in the United States,” says Marc Anderson, president and CEO of Visit San Antonio. In an interview with Invest:, he discussed the tourism landscape in the region and Visit San Antonio’s strategies to bolster visitor numbers.
What is your analysis of the state of tourism and hospitality in San Antonio?
Throughout the United States, we are still in recovery mode coming out of the pandemic. San Antonio has been a bit stronger than some of the other major cities in the country because of our location in the second-largest state and because we are a warm-weather destination. We are very lucky to have 41 million people who can drive into San Antonio from around a 500-mile radius. But there is no doubt that we are still in recovery mode.
What strategies have you implemented in the past year to attract more visitors to San Antonio?
We no longer market San Antonio only during key seasons. We are now 24-7, 12 months on, marketing every single month of the year. That started two years ago. We have primarily shifted most of our marketing dollars to digital marketing to travelers throughout the Texas region and now, key cities throughout the country. We have also put a heavy focus on social media. We brought our social media in-house and we have a team that promotes San Antonio on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and even TikTok. That is one of the reasons why we are seeing such an enormous increase in online engagement. It is due to our social media strategies. We will more than double our FY23 goals, which is encouraging.
Last year, we also launched the first branding campaign for Visit San Antonio in more than a decade called Real+True. We are telling the real stories of the true San Antonio. We also made storytelling the No. 1 pillar of our company. Storytelling encompasses many different parts of marketing. It can be paid marketing for digital advertising, print and TV. It could be social. It could be earned media through PR and communications. We also looked at convention sales and group sales as part of our storytelling because the competition has never been fiercer.
Have you seen an uptick in the use of local natural amenities, such as parks and trails?
The other pillar that we are pushing is outdoor travel and fun. One of the things that we should be exceptionally proud of is the protection of our green spaces throughout San Antonio. Our River Walk by itself is a beautifully maintained park that is the second top tourist attraction in the state of Texas (the top attraction being the Alamo) and one of the top tourist attractions in the United States, and it is thriving. Credit is due to the city of San Antonio, which has maintained this beautiful River Walk that attracts millions of people on an annual basis. A wonderful attribute of San Antonio is not only the protected green spaces close to downtown, but if you go 15 to 20 miles out you can hike in the Hill Country of San Antonio, which is also unique compared to other destinations throughout the United States.
What is the status of the labor shortage in the regional tourism sector?
We were hit very hard as was every other city in the world but some businesses have been very lucky. A large number of our hotels in San Antonio are fully staffed but some are still struggling to hire employees. It is the same with the restaurant industry and the attractions industry. Some are doing great and some are still struggling.
I will say that it is still more challenging to find talent post-pandemic than it was pre-pandemic.
What are some of the unique tourism destinations that you would recommend people to visit or take advantage of?
The Alamo is going through a $500 million expansion, where they are activating the original footprint of the historic mission to give visitors a more immersive experience in learning about the Texas Revolution. A new 24,000-square-foot collection center has already opened, showcasing extensive artifacts and curated exhibits. San Antonio is also home to Morgan’s Wonderland, the world’s first ultra-accessible amusement park for all abilities. This wonderful theme park offers activities that the entire family can enjoy. Our other theme parks, Six Flags Fiesta Texas and SeaWorld, have all debuted new rides and enhanced their water parks for more family fun to be had. The growth and evolution of the city is something that we should be exceptionally proud of. San Antonio is not only the culinary capital of Texas but one of only two UNESCO Cities of Gastronomy in the United States. We’ve opened 100 new restaurants and 12 new hotels since the beginning of the pandemic, which gives visitors more opportunities to experience and explore the unique cultural amenities in our city.
What are some of the projects or initiatives that you’re excited to push forward? What’s next on the agenda?
We are very excited about our global development. We opened offices in London in October 2022. We are looking at further expansion in Europe as well as Asia later in 2023. These international travelers stay much longer than the domestic traveler and also a lot more. That is important for our economy as we continue to build ourselves out of COVID. We, of course, will continue to build our profile throughout the United States.
Visit San Antonio has also officially entered the Metaverse at www.210Plaza.com. Phase 1 of 210 Plaza is live on the Metaverse and is an experiential journey for visitors domestically and internationally. 210 Plaza feels and looks like San Antonio, where you can experience everything from film to music, to finding out about our culinary scene. We are also bringing our Visitor Information Center to 210 Plaza which we are very excited about. Our Metaverse is an enticing taste of the San Antonio experience virtually so that we can drive more visitors to our destination. Phase 1 is just the beginning. 210 Plaza will continue to grow and evolve as we learn what our consumers want from the site.
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