FOR MORE INFORMATION: Dee Dee Poteete Director of Communications deedeepoteete@visitsanantonio.com 210/207-6708

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug 12, 2009

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San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau Debuts Improved Website

E-marketing strategy eases navigation, delivers more relevant content

In Denver and thinking about a trip to San Antonio? Visitsanantonio.com will now greet consumers with a picturesque River Walk image, and the headline “It’s a direct flight from Denver. Then a slow cruise.” This is just an example of a new visitor-friendly homepage introduced by the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau (SACVB) on August 11, 2009.

“In today’s go-go-go world, consumers’ most valuable asset is time. Information is delivered at light-speed through many mediums. By offering content relevant to our customers, we want to ease their navigation of our website, improve our service to them, and increase online requests for a San Antonio Travel & Leisure Guide,” said Scott White, Executive Director, SACVB.

The Travel & Leisure Guide, a multi-page glossy printed brochure is the SACVB’s main fulfillment piece for consumers requesting San Antonio vacation information. Almost 50% of travelers who receive a guide make a leisure trip to San Antonio.

The SACVB incorporated several realms of research in developing this new strategy (consumer studies; image studies; research analyzing best practices to convert marketing programs and collateral to room nights in San Antonio, for example). The organization also enlisted the expertise of digital marketing partner VM Foundry and GetSmartContent.com.

The new approach presents tailored information to consumers, but does not gather any personal data. Visitsanantonio.com opens up with relevant content aimed to be most helpful to those who: 

• have visited the site multiple times, but have not yet ordered a Travel & Leisure Guide;
• are interested in theme parks and family travel;
• log on from direct flight cities;
• live outside Texas; 
• are Texas residents within driving distance of San Antonio.

“We want our friends from Deer Park to log on to visitsanantonio.com one morning and be greeted with an enchanting image of San Antonio with the message “A short drive from Houston to another world.” 

Personalized service and relevant content is the way to go, and we feel confident this will generate even more tourism for our city,” added White.

To learn more about the SACVB’s efforts to promote San Antonio as a premier leisure and meetings destination, go to visitsanantonio.com.