By: Amber Hughes | From: Spectrum News
SAN ANTONIO — Although some folks visit Hill Country just for the wineries, thousands of tourists are expected to travel here to see the solar eclipse.
“On a typical Saturday we will be pretty full in here,” said Texas Wine Collective’s business development manager, Caroline Eidson.
The pours are flowing inside Texas Wine Collective’s tasting room. Eidson said in Fredericksburg they have nothing to whine about.
“We’re pretty excited about having two eclipses in the matter of, what, six months coming right over our heads in Hill Country,” Eidson said.
Texas is the only state in the path of the annular eclipse, and the total eclipse in 2024. The state is attracting tourists from across the country to the region.
“We’re going to welcome hundreds of thousands of people to this area,” Eidson said. “Hopefully, we’ll have about 500 here on our property.”
While the Hill Country may be a hot spot for viewing the eclipses, San Antonio is also high on the list.
“We want to get as many people here as we can,” said Marc Anderson, president and CEO of Visit San Antonio.
Many hotels have now reached their capacity for the rare phenomenon.
“Some of our hotels are already sold out for next year as well,” Anderson said. “So not only are they enjoying great attendance and visitation on Oct. 14, those visitors are already booking their rooms for next year.”
Hospitality is the third largest industry in San Antonio. Anderson stated they want people to come for the eclipses but stay for everything else the region has to offer.
“We’ve promoted… domestically but also internationally to our friends in Mexico and Canada,” Anderson said. “… If you’re in North America and you want to take a flight to San Antonio, you can see the amazing eclipse.”
Back in wine country, the Fredericksburg visitor center has already given away hundreds of eclipse glasses. They’re ready for the ring of fire, the final solar eclipse visible from the continental U.S. for another 20 years.
“It’s kind of crazy,” Eidson said. “We are super excited. I know that the town is getting very excited. We are expecting a lot more people in April.”