Dear TPID Participants:
At long last, we have arrived in 2021 with fresh hopes and expectations for recovery after almost a year of enduring the impacts of COVID-19. In the wake of it, much has changed, not only in our personal lives but in how we operate our businesses.
A seismic development has been the long-awaited arrival of the coronavirus vaccines that are increasingly being distributed across San Antonio. As those treatments are delivered, presumably giving us all an effective defense against COVID-19, I’m confident the tourism and hospitality industry will showcase amazing resilience in spurring economic recovery in our community.
The belief is that, when travelers again feel comfortable hitting the road, they’ll seek out the comfortable, safe locations they’ve enjoyed in years past. Experts project that leisure travel will rebound first, and that is a good sign for San Antonio. A generational favorite for decades, our city represents an accommodating, secure locale. Consider that each year more than 70 percent of the millions of leisure visitors who come to San Antonio travel here from inside the state.
In coming weeks, I hope you see the impact of Visit San Antonio’s promotional effort, “Si San Antonio.” Aimed at helping fuel the industry’s comeback during the summer, it is an initiative where travelers receive a special rate by staying at select hotels, along with a card that will provide a wide range of discounts at attractions, restaurant and museums across the destination.
I know it continues to be a tough stretch for each of you, unlike anything that we have tackled before. The turn toward recovery is under way, but it will be gradual. Please know that your TPID board is in your corner, and we are working proactively to be a spearhead to position our industry for healing.
This quarterly newsletter provides an update on where we stand, including the status of our marketing, budgetary and sales strategies moving forward.
We are stronger together, and we look forward to partnering with you on making 2021 all it can be. Outreaches like this are important in that regard. I invite you to review this material and pass along any thoughts or questions to me or the Visit San Antonio staff.
Sincerely,
Henry Feldman
Chair
TPID Board of Directors
Administration & Finance
FY 2021 Service Plan
The San Antonio Tourism Public Improvement District Board and the City of San Antonio City Council both approved the FY 2021 Service Plan in August 2020 and December 2020 respectively. The Service Plan outlines the major budget parameters of the sales and marketing programming expected in FY 2021.
SATPID FY 2021 – Service Plan/Budget (Oct 01, 2020 – Sept 30, 2021)
The SATPIDC Board of Directors are eligible to redirect up to 10% of program funds between the Service Categories on an annual basis. This strategy was exercised by the SATPIDC Board in FY 2021 to help better influence growth in leisure demand as we begin recovery efforts post-pandemic in 2021.
| Service | % | $ |
| Marketing | 49.5% | $2.71 mil |
| Sales | 40.5% | $2.22 mil |
| Industry Partnerships | 5% | $274K |
| Research and Administration | 3% | $164K |
| Contingency Marketing/Sales Funds | 2% | $110K |
| TOTAL | 100% | $ 5.48 mil |
The SATPIDC is closely monitoring the progress of the industry’s recovery and will make both budgetary and planning adjustments to ensure investments are in alignment with the approved Service Categories.
Industry Data
Below is YTD industry data for CY ending December 2020. In summary, like most every destination, San Antonio has experienced its share of challenges associated to COVID-19. The information below helps to outline San Antonio’s performance in context with other Texas and National Comp set destinations. Additionally, VSA and SATPIDC will continue to monitor industry performance as we progress through recovery efforts post-pandemic.
Industry Data — Comp Cities Summary
Calendar-Year-to-Date (Jan – December 2019)
| Occ | % Ch Occ |
% Ch ADR |
% Ch RVPR |
% Ch Rev |
% Ch Rm Sup |
% Ch RNS |
Census # of Hotels |
Census # of Rooms |
|
| San Antonio | 42.2 | -36.3 | -21.4 | -49.9 | -51.9 | -4.0 | -38.8 | 442 | 46,978 |
| Atlanta, GA | 47.8 | -31.0 | -24.5 | -47.9 | -48.0 | -0.1 | -31.1 | 879 | 103,075 |
| Austin | 43.1 | -40.2 | -29.3 | -57.7 | -57.6 | 0.3 | -40.0 | 370 | 43,052 |
| Charlotte, NC | 43.3 | -36.6 | -22.3 | -50.7 | -49.4 | 2.8 | -34.8 | 359 | 40,653 |
| Dallas | 43.4 | -35.7 | -21.6 | -49.6 | -49.1 | 1.0 | -35.1 | 775 | 94,944 |
| Denver, CO | 42.9 | -41.8 | -29.9 | -59.2 | -60.0 | -1.9 | -42.9 | 382 | 52,457 |
| Fort Worth | 47.8 | -31.3 | -19.9 | -45.0 | -43.9 | 2.1 | -29.9 | 360 | 36,723 |
| Houston | 42.3 | -32.7 | -20.4 | -46.4 | -46.5 | -0.1 | -32.8 | 998 | 94,558 |
| Indianapolis, IN | 41.2 | -36.1 | -24.9 | -52.0 | -51.7 | 0.7 | -35.7 | 307 | 33,884 |
| New Orleans, LA | 41.0 | -41.0 | -21.3 | -53.6 | -57.3 | -7.9 | -45.7 | 298 | 40,622 |
| Orlando, FL | 41.5 | -45.5 | -13.4 | -52.8 | -61.3 | -18.0 | -55.3 | 510 | 117,893 |
| Phoenix, AZ | 49.8 | -29.4 | -12.3 | -38.0 | -39.7 | -2.7 | -31.2 | 506 | 67,024 |
| San Diego, CA | 48.4 | -36.9 | -22.0 | -50.8 | -54.0 | -6.6 | -41.1 | 489 | 62,677 |
DESTINATION SALES
Visit San Antonio’s Destination Sales & Experience Teams have been focused on the following key priorities since the start of the pandemic: Customer Engagement, Retainment & Business Development, with SATPID funding bolstering these efforts. With the spike in
COVID-19 cases, appropriate timing and messaging continues to be a moving target, however the SATPID will be a proactive resource for our industry’s recovery. For fiscal year 2021, the SATPID Board of Directors approved a forecasted $2.2M of funding for Sales & Experience initiatives focused on the following recovery efforts: Individual Hotel Incentive Program, Short Term Hosting Obligations, Group Business Development Program, Virtual Customer Events, New Tradeshow Booth Development and Attendance at Major Industry Tradeshows & Events.
The Individual Hotel Incentive Program continues to be a critical resource for capturing the limited groups business opportunities currently available with $901K of uncommitted available funds. For the first quarter of fiscal year 2021, this program has generated a total of 10 applications, driving an estimated 10.2K group room nights/$1.7M in group room revenue, while delivering a solid 12 to 1 ROI. With funding still available, please continue to submit applications for up to $50K per participating SATPID property. SATPID Hosting Obligations through the first quarter of fiscal year 2021, has afforded our destination the opportunity to bid on seven opportunities totaling 33.7K GRNs, heavily impacting 2022 and 2023.
MARKETING
SATPID Q4 Marketing Update
In the last quarter of calendar year 2020, COVID-19 continues to have a significant impact on us globally, and more specifically on the travel and tourism industry.
Marketing Recovery Plan
- For 2020 and the first quarter of 2021, every TPID dollar spent in digital advertising produced a ROI of 1:21 in overall traveler city expenditures.
- Visit San Antonio has partnered with U.S. Travel Association on their “Let’s Go There” campaign. The second phase of the campaign featured holiday-centric creative encouraging family travel for the season. The media plan included a mix of digital, paid social media, streaming radio, streaming TV and cable. The third phase of this campaign will begin on January 26 – National Plan for Vacation Day, with a campaign inspiring Americans to say “Let’s Go There” and start dreaming of future trips in the year ahead. Safety and security is a key message that all of our ads and website will continue to carry.
- Visit San Antonio participated as a media partner of the The Day of the Dead special with a made for TV parade on October 30th. The parade aired on KSAT and is scheduled to air in over 50 markets in the US and Mexico.
- The marketing team produced a 90-second video feature for the Valero Alamo Bowl. In case you missed it, you can view it here!
2020/2021 Visit San Antonio Visitor’s Guide
Our traditional Visitor’s Guide is out! See the link that follows to request yours or download the electronic version. Enjoy and make plans to visit all of what San Antonio has to offer. https://www.visitsanantonio.com/request-a-guide/