On the Road Again ... to Recovery
The Horse Is Out Of The Barn
San Antonio tourism is mid-stampede towards the rushing river! When TX Governor Greg Abbott lifted COVID-19 restrictions for the state on March 10th, 2021, all businesses became eligible to reopen at 100% capacity. This was positive news for San Antonio, where tourism is the city’s third largest industry. In a recent interview with Dave Krupinski, Chief Operating Officer for Visit San Antonio, we were excited to hear about how the city’s strong mix of diverse attractions and outdoor activities are positioning this destination to recover quickly.
Approaching The Fence
A few obstacles to San Antonio’s recovery have arisen in 2021. The supply chain and labor shortages are affecting tourism just as much as other industries. Some attractions are struggling to meet current visitor demand and guest expectations.
And there is a new impulsive traveler in town—the Last Minute Booker! “Typically, we see that visitors to San Antonio book their hotel stays 3-12 days in advance,” says Krupinski. “Today, many visitors are booking their stay on the drive to our city.” This means that a hotel manager who schedules her weekend staff on Wednesday, when weekend occupancy is set for 50%, is suddenly scrambling for staff on Friday afternoon when occupancy hits 75%. This calls for industry-wide flexibility when planning and implementing operational needs.
Some visitors (or visitor groups) require a higher level of service to reduce safety risks. When San Antonio hosted the NCAA Division 1 Women’s Basketball Tournament from March 21 – April 4, 2021, it was all hands-on deck to get the Alamodome up to capacity with safety standards that made both the city and the NCAA comfortable. This event created an NCAA “bubble” where hotels were reserved solely for teams, and the city had to help service visitor requests—like getting aspirin and fresh food items from the corner store—through concierge services.
Taking the Leap
Since the pandemic, local government entities and Visit San Antonio have been working together to make the city shine as a safe and welcoming destination. One of the first and most critical steps has been sanitation. For visitors to feel (and be) safe and comfortable, maintaining a high sanitation level post-pandemic is critical. To attain the staffing levels that this service requires, Visit San Antonio scheduled a job fair on June 23 with over 25 businesses looking to hire.
Another step has been to develop new storytelling products to strengthen San Antonio’s authenticity and experiential brand. San Antonio has just about everything you could want in a destination--hills rolling in bluebonnets, the world’s first waterpark focused on people with disabilities, Texas’ largest cave system, cultural festivals from Mexico AND Germany—the list goes on and on. But communicating this bounty with accuracy and inclusivity takes careful thought and modern collaboration.
Si San Antonio is a new initiative that addresses this issue while capitalizing on the aforementioned Last Minute Booker. Visitors can access the program when they arrive at their hotel and receive instant discounts across the city. This is incredibly convenient for all visitors, particularly regional drivers who corner 70% of the market.
Visit San Antonio is also ready to employ marketing campaigns for international visitors as soon as travel restrictions ease. San Antonio typically receives around 2.5 million international visitors every year with 90% of these visitors from Mexico. Many are located within a drivable distance to the destination and are waiting for the borders to reopen. At the time of this publication, the Department of Homeland Security is planning to keep US borders with Mexico and Canada restricted to travel through July 21.
Hold Your Horses: A Word Of Caution
With visitation increasing and per cap spending breaking 2019 numbers for attractions, the summer of 2021 is looking to be a lucrative travel season for San Antonio. However, Krupinski cautions the industry that, “2021 is not a normal year. It will be beneficial in getting us back on track but creates a false narrative for future tourism projection budgets.” He expects that though they will celebrate their bounty once the season is over, it will take careful analysis and planning to tackle 2022.
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