San Antonio’s Spring Break Season and Future Prospects

San Antonio, TX – Hotels are filling up fast ahead of the 2024 Spring Break season. San Antonio’s businesses hope it’ll mean a major boost for them. People who work in this area say despite the construction they’re expecting big things during this season. “If we could have February’s weather all year long, that’d be amazing,” San Antonio Zoo President and CEO Tim Morrow said. Crowds of people moved in and out of their recently upgraded front gate Friday afternoon. It’s a sign Morrow is excited to see.

Spring Break Boost for San Antonio

The zoo sees more than 1,000,000 people a year. With a number of changes and discounted options, the majority of their visitors arrive during the busy season. “Spring break, weekends, the summer, when the kids are out of school. Spring break is a big part of the business here at the zoo and for all the entities in town that depend on tourism,” Morrow said. Tourism has long been a major driver for San Antonio’s economy. The Alamo City hosts nearly 40,000,000 visitors a year, bringing in more than $15,000,000,000 to the economy.

Tourism’s Economic Impact

“The expansions of the riverwalk, we’re part of that baseball field, soccer fields, those type of things that we enjoy as citizens. We’re all paid through the hotel tax here in San Antonio,” Hilton Palacio Del Rio General Manager Robert Thrailkill said. Thrailkill mentioned the ongoing construction and the 55th year of the hotel’s operations with no signs of slowing down. “We’re expecting 90% occupancies. Vacationers for us, we still have we have a 250-mile radius where people come from so from the Valley from Houston up north to Austin and north of that,” Thrailkill said.

Investments and Returns

Thrailkill emphasized the importance of making bookings early, despite ongoing construction in the city. As for the return on investments, Morrow said they are already seeing more visitation from both locals and tourists, increasing interest in San Antonio as a whole. “We are seeing more visitation from both locals and tourists and a lot more interest from around the world to San Antonio Zoo, which is a win for also the city because people become interested in San Antonio,” Morrow said.

Staycation or Vacation?

Both men highlighted a good mix of vacationers and staycationers, urging people not to let the ongoing traffic projects deter them from exploring San Antonio’s offerings. There is so much to discover and enjoy in the city, and with the Spring Break season approaching, it’s an opportune time for residents and visitors alike to experience all that San Antonio has to offer.