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Visit San Antonio reports record tourism impact and flags a 2030 group‑booking dip
Summary
Visit San Antonio told the committee that 2024 visitation neared 39 million, tourism economic impact was about $23.4 billion, and group bookings face a potential decline in 2030 as new convention centers open; staff outlined a World Cup marketing plan centered on regional drive markets.
Mario Bassett, president and CEO of Visit San Antonio, told the Economic Workforce Development Committee on April 6 that the city’s tourism and hospitality sector has returned to near‑prepandemic visitation and generated a record economic impact in 2024, while warning of future competitive pressure on group bookings.
Bassett said total visitation topped 39 million in 2024 and that tourism‑related economic impact reached $23.4 billion that year. “In 2024, the tourism and hospitality economic impact reached a record breaking $23,400,000,000,” he told the committee, noting Visit San Antonio’s role in convention sales and marketing and highlighting a 45:1 return on the organization’s promotional investment.
Why it matters: Tourism and hospitality support an estimated 150,000 jobs in San Antonio; committee members discussed the effects of short‑term rentals, changes in group business and the city’s marketing approach for the FIFA World Cup. Visit San Antonio said it will geofence Dallas and Houston and market San Antonio as a regional getaway during World Cup matches, even though the city did not secure a base‑camp team.
Details and context: Bassett described three priorities for FY26—defend leisure visitation, grow group/convention business and expand international travel—while noting a potential decline in group bookings around 2030 as competing convention centers come online. He flagged short‑term rentals as a factor in hotel demand, citing growth from roughly 400,000 short‑term rental room nights in 2019 to about 1.1 million in 2025.
Council members asked about tracking medical tourism, airline connectivity and how sports and conventions (for example Spurs games or events at the Alamodome) affect hotel demand. Bassett said Visit San Antonio tracks group segmentation and will continue to pursue both leisure and group markets, including sports and specialized conventions.
Ending: Visit San Antonio will give a fuller briefing at an upcoming B session, and the committee invited the organization to supply follow‑up data on specific group segments, short‑term rental impacts and metrics connecting airport routes to visitation trends.
