San Antonio Missions visits hit decade-high in 2025

By the numbers: There were more than 1.5 million visits to the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park in 2025, up more than 21% from 2024.

• The 2025 visits now surpass pre-pandemic numbers. It's the highest figure since at least 2015.
• The data includes visits to Mission Concepción, Mission San Juan, Mission Espada and Mission San José, the largest. They do not include visits to the Alamo.

The big picture: More visitors can translate into more foot traffic for nearby businesses on the South Side, and increased tourism dollars for the city overall.

• As the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Texas, the Missions are often touted as a main tourist draw for San Antonio. They generated about $171 million for the San Antonio economy in 2024, per the NPS.

Flashback: At least one ranger at San Antonio's Missions lost her job last year amid the cuts to the NPS workforce.

Meanwhile, the city last year opened the new World Heritage Center, a visitor hub highlighting the history of the Missions.

Zoom out: Elsewhere in Texas, visits to Big Bend National Park were up about 1.2% from 2024, reaching more than 568,000 visits in 2025.

• Across the country, visits to NPS sites were down 2.7% in 2025 from 2024.

What's next: The popular Chisos Basin in Big Bend, including the campground, visitor center and trail access, are set to close at the end of April for construction of a new lodge and water lines that will last about two years.