Business on San Antonio's River Walk is down. Is a lack of investment or a larger trend to blame?

San Antonio relies heavily on the tourism dollars generated by its iconic River Walk. Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Mark Bonica

Traffic is down at the River Walk, prompting local businesses to call for more city investment to spiff up one of its biggest tourism draws.

To that end, city officials has drawn up a strategic plan to make the site more attractive and navigable for tourists.

However, San Antonio’s slump could be part of a larger national trend. Tourism destinations nationwide are reporting drastic declines in both international and domestic tourism due to the Trump administration’s hardline immigration enforcement and economic policies.

Terry Corless, owner of Mad Dogs Restaurant Group, told Fox San Antonio that business at his River Walk establishments have fallen roughly 15% for the year. Foot traffic on the River Walk has struggled to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels due to factors such as construction, outdated codes and a lack of investment, he added.

“I’m not doing the numbers I was doing 15 to 20 years ago,” Corless told Fox SA. “We’re really being hammered in every direction. And we’ve seen pretty much consistently, sales and traffic have been going down.”

Trish DeBerry, president and CEO of downtown business organization Centro San Antonio, told Fox SA a revamp of the River Walk is long overdue.

“It is the responsibility of the city to take a look regularly and say, ‘Hey, what more can we be doing?’ We haven’t had a strategic framework plan for the River Walk and improvements for 16 years, 17 years,” DeBerry told the TV station.

On Wednesday, city staff briefed members of council on a strategic plan to revitalize the River Walk, including beautification, lighting, wayfinding and technology upgrades, among other improvements, according to news reports. The city also plans to review codes and regulations, according to Shanon Miller, director of the Office of Historic Preservation.

“It’s time to kind of refocus and look at what else we should be the priorities on the River Walk,” Miller told Fox SA. “It’s important that we continue to invest in the River Walk, because it is such an important cultural asset.”

However, those concerns about overdue investment in the River Walk traffic come amid a steep decline in tourism nationwide.

The World Travel and Tourism Council projects the United States will lose $12.5 billion in international tourism dollars in 2025, the only country out of 184 analyzed that will see a downturn this year, CNN reports.

Much of the drop stems from foreigners’ fears the country isn’t a safe destination under the Trump administration, according to CNN. Overseas travelers raised concerns about being hassled and detained at U.S. airports, among other risks.

“It’s unheard of,” Didier Arino, general director of French travel-consulting firm Protourisme, told CNN about the unprecedented drop.

“It’s happened before in a country at war, in a country where there was a security risk, or risk of health crisis, but in a normal situation, we’ve never seen this kind of turnaround,” Arino told the news network.

Soon, tourists from some nations also may pay more upfront to enter the country due to the White House’s new $250 “visa integrity fee.” That penalty is expected to further deter international travelers.

“While other nations are rolling out the welcome mat, the U.S. government is putting up the ‘closed’ sign,” World Travel and Tourism Council CEO Julia Simpson told CNN.

Like San Antonio, Las Vegas — one of the top U.S. travel destinations — is experiencing a similarly sharp drop in tourism. In addition to dwindling international visits, Sin City is reeling from rising prices, tightening budgets and other economic factors that cut into domestic tourism, the New York Times reports.

Currently, San Antonio attracts more than 37 million domestic and international tourists annually, according to Visit San Antonio. The total includes 2.1 million Mexican visitors, the highest number of any U.S. city.

It stands to reason that for foreign families worried about safety and American families feeling a financial pinch, a trip to the River Walk might just not be on the itinerary right now.

Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.

Business on San Antonio’s River Walk is down. Is a lack of investment or a larger trend to blame?

Tags: