A new National Park Service report shows that 1.2 million people visited the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park in 2023, spending an estimated $95 million locally and bringing in $150 million in local impact.
The missions in San Antonio include Mission San Jose, Mission San Juan, Mission Concepción and Mission Espada. It doesn’t include The Alamo, which alone draws more than 2.5 million visitors a year.
In 2021, the missions had the biggest economic impact in nine years, bringing 1.3 million visitors who spent $104 million in San Antonio and drew $165 million to San Antonio through visitor spending and job wages.
According to the National Park Visitor Spending Effects report, 90% of spending came from non-local visitors, who mostly spent money on hotels, restaurants, retail, gas and transportation.
The spending supported $51.3 million in labor income, paid for 1,480 local jobs, contributed $150 million to the local economy and $82.5 million in value added, according to government officials.
View the interactive charts on the NPS website, which show how much the park contributes year by year.
The report showed that more than 5.3 million people visited Texas and spent $322.7 million. It contributed 4,464 jobs, $172.1 million in labor income, $272.2 million in value added, and $487.6 million in economic output statewide.
NPS Superintendent Christine Jacobs said the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park protects and preserves the cultural heritage, historical structures, archaeological resources, and natural landscapes and plays a vital role in supporting the local economy.
“We’re proud to contribute to the economic landscape supporting 1,480 jobs and generating $95 million in revenue to communities near the park while welcoming visitors from all over the world,” she said.
Across the country, 325.5 million visitors spent $26.4 billion in communities near national parks. The spending supported 415,400 jobs, provided $19.4 billion in labor income, and $55.6 billion in economic output to the U.S. economy.