The number of visits to the San Antonio Missions increased sharply last year, new National Park Service data shows.

Why it matters: The jump came at a difficult time for the NPS. In early 2025, the Trump administration's purge of federal employees included hundreds of national park workers.

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

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

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

Outdoor recreation contributed 2.1% of Texas' gross domestic product in 2024, per new U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data.

The big picture: The outdoor recreation economy accounted for 2.4% of U.S. GDP in 2024, the data shows.

• That's in current dollars, and equivalent to nearly $700 billion.

Catch up quick: Nationally, GDP for the outdoor economy was up 2.7% in 2024 — a slowdown from 2023, when it rose 5.3% from the previous year.

Zoom in: Total recreation spending in Texas was more than $59.4 billion in 2024, behind only Florida ($65.3 billion) and California ($87.9 billion).

• The tallies include conventional outdoor activities like hiking, hunting and bicycling, other activities like outdoor concerts, and supporting work, like construction and tourism.

By the numbers: Conventional outdoor recreation added almost $17.8 billion to the Texas GDP.

• Other outdoor recreation, including music festivals and amusement parks, added $9.2 billion to the state's GDP.
• Tourism and other supporting work added nearly $32.5 billion.

🚤 Stunning stat: Boating and fishing accounted for nearly $3 billion of the state's GDP, closely followed by RVing, which accounted for about $2.7 billion.

• Boating and fishing were the biggest economic drivers nationwide among "conventional activities," adding $38.4 billion to the U.S. GDP.

🗓 The City of San Antonio will not observe the César Chávez holiday on March 31, and instead will close most offices on April 3 as an "undesignated" holiday. (Express-News 🔑)

⚖️ A federal immigration judge denied the asylum claim for 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his family, effectively calling for their removal following their high-profile detention at an immigration center in Dilley.

• The family's lawyers are appealing the ruling. (CNN)

🤝 CPS Energy is working with Corpus Christi officials to explore a seawater desalination plant as the coastal city's water supply dwindles and state intervention looms. (TPR)

💬 Quote du jour

"This decision reflects our obligation to uphold the values that have guided our work and to ensure we do not contribute to further harming or diminishing the experiences of those who have come forward."

👋 Hey, it's Madalyn! I found a new-to-me Lenten dish that really hit the spot at Paesanos Lincoln Heights.

Dig in: The San Antonio staple has plenty of Lenten-friendly options, but the salmon avocado ($37.95) stood out. It's exactly what it sounds like, topped with a broiled layer of mozzarella.

• It all sits in a savory caper lemon butter sauce — so it's basically all of my favorite things.
• I'd swap the spinach for pasta to take it over the top, but it still delivered.

The intrigue: The dish is part of a pairing menu. I skipped the wine this time, but it was tempting.