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HERITAGE MARKETING EXPANSION <br />FINDINGS <br />1. The 2024 Comprehensive Plan <br />expressed the goal of leveraging <br />heritage tourism. <br />2. San Marcos is successfully promoting <br />heritage tourism across multiple <br />platforms. <br />3. The City's website highlights historic <br />preservation events, experiences, <br />and destinations through the City's <br />Destination Services Department. <br />4. Guided or self -guided walking tours <br />do not appear to be regularly offered <br />or marketed. <br />5. The City has provided the Spark <br />Tourism Grant and Tourism Grant to <br />encourage heritage tourism. <br />CASE STUDY: AUSTIN <br />LEGACY BUSINESS MONTH <br />Austin City Council proclaimed October <br />as Legacy Business Month in 2023, <br />creating an annual celebration of <br />locally owned businesses operating <br />for 20+ years and their cultural and <br />economic contributions. Preservation <br />Austin leads the event, recruiting <br />participating businesses and promoting <br />them online. Participants can collect <br />"passport" stamps at each business <br />and enter drawings for prizes provided <br />by Preservation Austin. The month <br />concludes with a wrap-up party typically <br />hosted at a legacy business. <br />SOLUTIONS <br />1. Continue to highlight heritage tourism events <br />and attractions on VisitSanMarcos.com and <br />update it to showcase local landmarks and <br />historic preservation efforts. <br />2. Establish a Virtual Exhibit Platform to highlight <br />historic preservation work in the community <br />highlighted in Chapter 2. <br />3. Invest City funding to develop a series of walking <br />and driving tours available on paper and through <br />apps, like the Downtown Walking Tour on the <br />Visit El Paso App. <br />4. Partner with community stakeholders to develop <br />a walking tour program. Design tours spread <br />throughout the City highlighting diverse <br />communities, cultures, and backgrounds. Aim to <br />conduct at least one in -person tour annually and <br />develop a digital version using StoryMaps. <br />5. Continue to award the Spark Tourism and <br />Tourism Grants and expand the amount of <br />available funding or number of recipients. <br />Consider allocating funding to support <br />community heritage programming, such as <br />Indigenous Peoples' Day, Native American <br />Heritage Month, and Hispanic Heritage Month, <br />which may include music, theater, storytelling, <br />and visual arts that celebrate the city's diverse <br />cultural history. <br />6. Consider leveraging participation in the Texas <br />Heritage Trails Program am for statewide marketing <br />and add content and destinations to Texas Time <br />Travel's page on San Marcos. <br />7. Continue to foster a partnership with the El <br />Camino Real de los Tejas NHTAssociation and <br />consider participation in its annual celebration <br />day of the historic corridor. <br />Table 6. Comparison of Legacy Business Programs as of September 2025 <br />Austin <br />961,855 <br />23 <br />.00002 <br />San Antonio <br />1,434,625 <br />100 <br />.00007 <br />San Marcos <br />71,569 <br />11 <br />.00009 <br />CITY HISTORIC PRESERVATION GOALS 147 <br />