SAN ANTONIO – From the top of the Tower of the Americas to the walls of The Alamo and down to the River Walk, San Antonio has earned a spot on the list of favorite destinations among tourists.
Steven Pickney, for one, is a repeat visitor. He recently made the trip from Louisiana to the Alamo City for a little rest and relaxation.
“(I came for) just entertainment. Like I said, I’m on vacation right now. Just sightseeing,” he told KSAT 12 News.
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Future visits, however, may soon become a little more expensive for him and others who come to town.
Two measures on the Nov. 4 ballot, Propositions A and B, call for increasing the tax rate for hotel stays and car rentals to help fund a new downtown arena for the San Antonio Spurs.
As things stand now, the current total on the hotel tax rate is 16.75%.
If the measures pass, the rate would increase to 17%, the same as the hotel tax rates in Houston, Dallas, and Austin.
Some other large cities, such as Las Vegas and Los Angeles, have lower rates. They are 13% and 14%, respectively.
“It wouldn’t keep us from coming if the taxes go up,” Pickney said, although he doesn’t like the idea of paying for an arena in a city where he doesn’t live.
Other visitors, however, seemed to have their limits when it comes to tax increases.
“I don’t want to pay more, you know? Yeah, no one wants to pay more,” said Miguel Diaz, who is in town from Colombia.
Wei Wu, who was attending a work-related conference, agrees, especially given the state of the economy.
“It’s a very nice area,” Wu said. “But nobody wants to pay higher taxes, if you think about the inflation and everything going more and more expensive.”
As the owner of two downtown restaurants, Jennifer Cooley is worried the increase will be bad for business.
“Tourists are a big part of our business, our location,” she said.
She not only fears it could discourage visitors from coming but also chase away locals who may want to take a “staycation” downtown.
“When you’re down here, you want to spend money on the shows or events you’re going to. You don’t want to have to think about the rental car or hotel tax,” Cooley said.
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KSAT 12 News also reached out to two organizations that have a big stake in tourism in San Antonio.
A spokesman for Visit San Antonio said that the organization has “no comment” on the issue.
We are still waiting for a statement from the Texas Restaurant Association.
Get more election news on KSAT’s Vote 2025 page.
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