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'7?J Final Report March 1997 vacation travelers stay 1 to 5 nights. Leisure travelers in Texas typically spend about $70 to S 75 per day. (See Appendices of this report.) San Marcos is located in one of the prime visitation centers of the state and is on the major route to the Gulf Coast and the Rio Grande Valley. Thus, San Marcos should be able to capture a substantial share of the Texas leisure travel market. 2. Readers of Texas Highways Magazine A survey conducted in May, 1996, for the Texas Department of Transportation questioned readers of Texas Highways Magazine regarding the tourism activities that interested them. Readers of Texas Highways are not representative of the entire visitor population that may come to San Marcos, but they do represent the segment of the population that is older and more affluent than average. They are active travelers and they have an interest in Texas-oriented travel. Thus, they constitute an attractive market. Figure 1 illustrates the activity interests of this segment of the tourism market. It is clear from the data in Figure 1 that San Marcos has current and potential products that can meet these market demands. 3. Shoppers at the Malls The San Marcos Daily Record reported results of recent surveys at the malls. The surveys indicated the following: • 4.4 million people shopped at the San Marcos Factors Shops in 1996 • 59% of those shoppers are repeat visitors • more than half are from outside the Austin-San Antonio area These figures indicate that shoppers at the malls comprise a substantial potential market. Because more than half of them originate from outside the Austin-San Antonio region, they may be attracted to spend the night in San Marcos. Marketing Responsiby Marketing individual tourism activities must remain the responsibility of the individual owners/operators. However, because it is essential to market San Marcos and the region as a package, the San Marcos Convention and Visitor's Bureau should continue to facilitate and coordinate marketing to the maximum extent possible. The success of product development and marketing will be greatly influenced by the willingness of the city government to do the following: 1. improve entrances to the city; 2. facilitate interpretation and way-finding; 3. enforce codes and ordinances uniformly; 4. stimulate and facilitate preservation and adaptive reuse of historic buildings; and 5. facilitate parking for autos and RVs. Mayor's Blue Ribbon Committee on Tourism Development Page 9