Maria Martinez

Dear TPID Participants,

This year’s Visit San Antonio Annual Meeting left a lasting impression on all who attended. The creative initiatives unveiled, including the new marketing campaign, Unmistakably San Antonio, beautifully capture the heart and rhythm of our city—a vibrant culture, genuine hospitality, and an authentic spirit that make San Antonio like no other place in the world. It’s a celebration of who we are and what makes our destination truly unforgettable. Congratulations to the Visit San Antonio team for an outstanding Annual Meeting.

As a friendly reminder, please continue to utilize the Hotel Incentive Program, which remains an important tool for driving business and increasing visitation. As we move into FY2026, several updates have been made to the plan. They include end-user incentive payments and a new vendor enrollment form, which is required for participation in the program. Members can view the complete list of updates on the TPID website. Hotel Incentive Plan questions can be directed to Visit San Antonio’s Financial Program Specialist, Karleigh Banks, at Karleigh.banks.@visitsanantonio.com.

2025 marks my last year serving as TPID Chair. I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who has remained engaged, committed, and passionate about the work we do together. Your collaboration and steadfast support have made my journey as TPID Chair both meaningful and inspiring, and I am profoundly thankful for the collective impact we’ve achieved. It has been a privilege to serve alongside so many dedicated leaders who care deeply about our city, our hotels, and our hospitality community.

A heartfelt thank you to the incredible Visit San Antonio team for their tireless efforts, creativity, and partnership. The work they do every day continues to elevate our destination and strengthen our industry. I’m confident that the momentum from the Annual Meeting will only grow stronger in the months ahead. 

There’s much to be thankful for this holiday season, from our successes to the bright opportunities ahead. Let’s continue to support one another and carry forward the spirit that makes San Antonio unmistakably special.

Warm regards,

Maria Marinez

TPID Chair

HOTEL INCENTIVE PROGRAM

SATPID’s Individual Hotel Incentive Program is in effect and going strong!

With funding still available, please continue to submit applications for up to $75K per participating SATPID property.

LEARN MORE

party at the creamery event space

Destination Sales

The sales team sprinted to the Q4 finish line, closing out fiscal year 2025 stronger than ever before! The team booked a record-breaking 990,596 room nights, making up significant ground from Q3 by booking 363,694 room nights and 27 citywide events! 

The team kicked off Q3 in Chicago attending Destinations International Annual Meeting, followed by CEMA Summit in Austin where we sponsored a break for 800 corporate event and marketing professionals garnering additional exposure to this growing segment for San Antonio. 

In August, the team was busy networking during key industry conferences; SISO Leadership Conference in Indianapolis, Connect Marketplace in Miami, as well as Maritz Activate in Louisville. 

To finish off the quarter, the entire sales team supported hosting TSAE New Ideas Annual Conference here in San Antonio, entertaining hundreds of key Texas Association event professionals and reminding them why San Antonio should be their top meeting choice in Texas! And finally, the Midwest team hosted our annual Chicago Sales Mission, closing out the year with a bang, entertaining key customers at the Lady Gaga concert in Chicago!  

  FY25 Goal Q3 FY25 % to Goal
Event Bookings 755 88 106%
Leads Generated 3,850 292 93%
Citywide Events Booked 7216 16 103%
Room Nights 926,000 204,782 107%
Short Term Events Booked 610 15 102%

 

Marketing

The fourth quarter was defined by impactful marketing initiatives that promoted San Antonio as a must-visit destination. Our team focused on elevating the city’s appeal through strategic campaigns, enhanced visitor experiences, and the amplification of local cultural assets.

Key Highlights for the Quarter:

In Q4, “The Many Summer Vibes of San Antonio” campaign concluded.

Launched the Fall Leisure Campaign, “San Antonio, Where Fall Means Many Things,” that ran from September 1 – October 31.

Explore the campaign creative below:

 

Visitor Experience Highlights:

Launched a stunning new Fall Landing Page that showcases everything San Antonio has to offer this season, including Cultural Events, Fall Flavors & Festivals, Halloween Adventures, and Outdoor Must-Dos

 

Our content strategy across newsletters, social media, and blogs gave visitors insider guides for September and October. Examples include:

 

Promoted new special event: Calaverita Run 5K & Family Walk. In partnership with the River Walk team, the 1st Annual Calaverita Run was on October 25 as part of the Day of the Dead River Parade.

 

Launched the new 2025 “What’s New in San Antonio Video” highlighting the new cultural developments in our city. This tool is perfect for presentations or visitor outreach. 

 

City of San Antonio Arts & Culture Q4 Update:

The Visit San Antonio Marketing and Communications teams meet with COSA Arts and Culture Department quarterly to share ideas and information on upcoming projects that can be highlighted on the Visit San Antonio website and social media channels. 

 

Support for Key Q4 Arts & Culture Efforts through Social Media and Blogging. Examples include:

 

Ongoing Paid and Organic Media Support: Q4 FY25 included ongoing support for arts and culture through annual paid and organic media efforts.  

  • Website Cultural Content: YTD (Q1, Q2, Q3 & Q4) FY25 Total Visits to cultural content was 692,293 (w/o blogs) OR 852,819 (including arts & culture blog pageviews) 
  • YTD (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) Visit San Antonio Social Media Channels:   
    • Organic Total Impressions: 7,582,957 
    • Total engagements: 426,213 
    • Total Video Views: 5,272,727 
  • YTD (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4) The San Antonio River Walk Social Media Channels:   
    • Organic Total Impressions: 4,752,974 
    • Total engagements: 238,374 
    • Total Video Views: 2,335,953 

ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE

FY2024 Service Plan Assessments

District Assessments are collected by properties and remitted to the City of San Antonio utilizing the same reporting process as Hotel Occupancy Tax. For FY2024, assessments were budgeted at $10.9 million but closed the year at $10.6 million. The decreased assessments will be covered by savings across the same service plan categories originally adopted with more than 90% dedicated to sales and marketing programs.

 

FY2025 Service Plan

In December 2024, the San Antonio City Council approved the FY2025 Service Plan, which was previously approved by the Tourism Public Improvement District Board. The 2025 Service Plan projects an estimated $11 million in estimated revenue assessments for the District in FY2025 and outlines a corresponding service plan for sales & marketing efforts to align with that projection for FY2025. Visit San Antonio will work with the SATPID board to execute various strategies to best leverage these resources to help drive additional demand for the destination and properties within the District. The below referenced Service Plan outlines the major budget parameters of the sales and marketing programming expected in FY2025.

 

SATPID FY2025 – Service Plan/Budget (Oct 1, 2024 – Sept 30, 2025)

Industry Data

Below is YTD industry data received from Smith Travel Research (STR) specific to September 2025 vs September 2024, as well as calendar year to date information (Jan-September 2025 vs Jan-September 2024) for primary comp cities. VSA and SATPIDC will continue to monitor industry performance as we progress through the fall and winter months of the calendar year.