October 18, 2001 - The San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau (SACVB) has rolled out an additional comprehensive regional marketing campaign to help shore up the Alamo City�s visitor industry during the post-Sept. 11 period.

Developed in coordination with local industry leaders, the stepped-up $500,000 campaign targets travel consumers in drive markets throughout Texas and neighboring states, said SACVB Executive Director Steve Moore.  It enhances an existing $600,000 campaign already in place prior to Sept. 11.

�This program provides value to travelers from throughout Texas,� said Moore.

San Antonio, long a leading regional destination, attracts more than 8 million visitors a year generating $4 billion in estimated economic impact for the city.

The campaign features the mailing this week of Holiday San Antonio Vacation Experience (S.A.V.E.) discount program brochures to 200,000 households in Texas and surrounding states � more than double the number mailed last year � as well as advertisements placed in major Texas newspapers the weekends of Oct. 12 and 19.  

The two-page ads appear in newspapers in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, Corpus Christi, Harlingen and Laredo.  The print ads will be augmented by radio commercials in Houston, Dallas and Austin.  Other aspects of this consumer plan include Internet marketing, regional corporate sales promotions, targeted consumer events and media promotions.

Supporting the marketing efforts is a public relations campaign including dissemination of news releases, calls on media in key markets, and radio promotions.  The public relations campaign also will feature local efforts, including �Share the Story,� a grass roots program launched Oct. 18 in conjunction with local chambers of commerce and the Greater San Antonio Hotel & Motel Association.  �Share the Story� is aimed at encouraging San Antonians to take advantage of local visitor industry promotions, to invite friends and family to visit, or to bring their corporate and association meetings to San Antonio.    

The hospitality industry is still evaluating the impact and ramifications of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.  Further evaluation of Sept. 11�s impact is planned, and the resulting analysis will be used to implement additional targeted marketing strategies.

The ads promote discounts offered by SeaWorld San Antonio and more than 40 hotels featured in the Holiday S.A.V.E. program.  These savings enable visitors to experience San Antonio�s warm and friendly atmosphere and diverse offerings of attractions and events at reduced prices.  (Discounts are valid October through Dec. 31, 2001.) The SACVB�s website will list additional values from restaurants, attractions and golf courses.

Upcoming events in San Antonio include the San Antonio New World Wine and Food Festival (Nov. 2-4), Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza (Nov. 15-18), Holiday River Parade and Lighting Ceremony (Nov. 23), Hecho a Mano Festival (Nov. 29-Dec. 2), Las Posadas (Dec. 9), and the SYLVANIA Alamo Bowl (Dec. 29).  

The San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau, a Department of the City of San Antonio, is funded through a hotel/motel occupancy tax. The bureau is a full sales and service agency dedicated to the promotion of San Antonio as a meeting and visitor destination.