With the end of the Visit San Antonio fiscal year in September, we are looking forward as much as we are at the year behind. While the year’s original and very ambitious goal of $41 million in outer-market earned media value was not met due to the effects of the pandemic on travel and media coverage, we did meet our midyear adjusted target with a total of just less than $26 million. As we rebalance our goals and priorities for the new fiscal year, it’s important that Visit San Antonio and our partners collaborate to focus on earning the confidence of travelers and media as a safe and enjoyable destination. As research has shown in the last couple of months, travelers’ confidence is one of the top drivers to them actually making the trip.
With those facts in mind, as we begin the fiscal year, we continue focusing our messaging on how San Antonio’s travel businesses are focused on providing an enjoyable and safe environment. We also continue to offer different travel agenda ideas including options to work from here and learn from here for families with school-age kids.
Road trips from fellow Texans and unique experiences such as the Zoo’s Drive Thru Zoo continue to be very popular with travelers and media, so our team is on a perpetual search for options that fit these story angles to help keep San Antonio top of mind for travelers.
As we head into fall and the holiday season, we’ll adjust our messaging to include the in-market and virtual experiences that visitors may enjoy in San Antonio. Please be sure to share with the Visit San Antonio any initiatives you have for the coming months so we may fold them and help amplify them as appropriate and possible.