SAN ANTONIO — Whether you live here or are visiting from another city, there's something truly special about the Christmas season in San Antonio.
- San Antonio sees big boost in tourism during holiday season
- City welcomes 37 million visitors a year
It's pretty difficult to pass up a chance to check out all the holiday lights in the Alamo City, like the nine million lights at Seaworld, the light display at the University of the Incarnate World or the beautiful glow on the Riverwalk.
According to Visit San Antonio, the city welcomes 37 million visitors a year and Christmas is a big driver of that. They said hotels, shopping, and restaurants all experience a major boost during this time of the year. In general, tourism and hospitality in San Antonio is a $15 billion industry.
Along with traditions and things to do, the holidays in San Antonio can make people feel pretty special.
"Keeping with the Christmas spirit, one of the things we find time and time again of people who come into San Antonio, they say ‘I'm treated with warmth, inclusivity, it's a diverse place to be,’ and we treat everybody like family. That's what's really cool about the travel that comes into San Antonio over the holidays; we're told that it's generational," Richard Oliver with Visit San Antonio said.
Many places around the Riverwalk, the Pearl, and Market Square are open Christmas Day and for the remainder of the holiday season.