SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio’s economy is on a promising road to recovery as the city’s tourism industry begins to see noticeable signs of improvement during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Texas is reopening pretty aggressively, and San Antonio has seen a lot more foot traffic, seen a lot more folks on the River Walk,” said Richard Oliver, Visit San Antonio director of partner and community relations.
Michael Hasty and his wife, who live in the Dallas-Forth Worth area, are among the thousands of out-of-town visitors.
“It is my lovely wife’s birthday,” Hasty said.
Caleb Stansell hails from Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
“Just a little vacation with the family. Looking to go to Sea World and Six Flags,” Stansell said.
Mask-wearing and social distancing when possible is commonplace across the Alamo City. But it doesn’t mean everyone is pleased with wearing the face coverings.
“It’s a little bit of an inconvenience, but we’re still going to have fun with the kids,” Stansell said.
“We wear the mask. We’re not spreading, they’re not spreading,” Hasty said.
The coronavirus has infected nearly 60,000 people and killed more than 1,300 in Bexar County.
Another casualty of the virus has been the local economy. However, Oliver is confident in what he’s been seeing lately.
“70% of our travel even before the coronavirus hit came from inside the State of Texas. I think when things started opening up and the numbers eased just a bit, and people wanted to make those last trips this summer, they looked at San Antonio because they’ve known – historically, generationally – this has been a safe, welcome destination,” Oliver said.
With Phase 3 of reopening underway and increased capacity allotted for businesses, the prospect of increased foot traffic is even greater.
One weekend ago, over 1,200 people came to Sa Antonio for the Women of Joy Conference.
“Most conventions (that) come in, they’re of seismic impact to our city. You can imagine the travelers come in, just the ripple effect of the spending that happens when they’re here in San Antonio, just from the hotels, the concierge, taking a taxi,” Oliver said.
Sixty-two meetings previously scheduled to take place at the downtown convention center didn't end up happening in 2020 due to the coronavirus, amounting to a $296 million loss for the Alamo City.
However, Oliver noted that another 40 meetings are slated for the remainder of the year, which could partially patch up the financial wounds.
“We’re feeling better," he said. "I mean, this has been a long hard stretch for everybody, especially when you consider in the tourism and hospitality, the employment factor for the folks that work in that industry in San Antonio is so critical for this city and its economy."
Oliver said that, typically, 140,000 San Antonians work in the hospitality industry. The coronavirus prompted businesses to make cuts and drop staff, plunging that number to 115,000 current employees.