VIVA SAN ANTONIO! TEXAS HIGHWAYS FINISHES 40TH ANNIVERSARY YEAR WITH READERS’ TOP DESTINATION
Throughout 2014, official travel magazine of Texas shared readers’ favorite places to visit
In celebration of its 40th anniversary, Texas Highways magazine announced San Antonio is the No. 1 Texas Top 40 favorite destination as chosen by its readers. According to voters, The Alamo City offers history, culture, art, music, dining, shopping, festivals and world-class attractions to visitors.
Over the past 12 months, Texas Highways revealed all 40 of readers’ favorite travel destinations. Winners included long-standing favorites like Kerrville at No.23 and Big Bend at No. 4, but there were plenty of surprises and new discoveries as well. Austin, a major tourism destination, came in at No. 26 while lesser-known Denton came in at No. 2. In the end, the Texas Top 40 Readers’ Choice Travel Destinations added excitement to the magazine’s anniversary year.
“We offer our sincerest congratulations to San Antonio and thank our readers for their enthusiastic votes and participation this year,” said Jill Lawless, Texas Highways editor. “We’ve thoroughly enjoyed celebrating our 40th anniversary this year and we’re excited about next year’s coverage of the Lone Star State. In the January issue, we’ll reveal what we’re cooking up for the 2015 Readers’ Choice Texas Top 40, so we encourage everyone to stay tuned and look forward to another great year.”
Along with the San Antonio recognition, the December issue also features highlights of Christmas on the El Paso Mission Trail, the light installations of famed artist James Turrell, Texas’ presidential libraries and a Round Top getaway. Adventurous readers will appreciate features on dining in the northeast Texas town of Marshall, exploring Harlingen and a round-up of holiday happenings all across Texas.
To commemorate the top ranking, the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau will incorporate the honor into its river barge during the Ford Holiday River Parade and Lighting Ceremony Nov. 28. Members of the Texas Highways magazine staff will be in attendance for the celebration.
Subscribers began receiving the December issue on Nov. 5; the digital edition was released on Nov. 11; and the hard-copy issue is on sale today at hundreds of newsstands statewide, including H-E-B, Target, Walmart, Randall’s, and Barnes & Noble.
About Texas Highways magazine
Founded as a travel magazine in 1974, Texas Highways magazine has been inspiring travel in Texas for 40 years. Today, Texas Highways has 200, 000 subscribers and 400,000 monthly readers across the United States and around the world.
A 2014 economic impact study conducted by Strategic Marketing & Research Insights reports approximately 54,000 trips by Texas Highways subscribers can be directly attributed to the magazine over the past two years. In addition, subscribers who already planned to take trips were influenced to extend their visits as a result of reading the magazine.
Texas Highways’ mission is to encourage travel to and within the state. According to estimates from the Texas Office of the Governor, Economic Development and Tourism division, travelers to and within Texas in 2013 spent more than $67.5 billion, an increase of 3 percent over 2012. This directly supported 601,000 jobs and generated $4.7 billion in state and local taxes.
To learn more about Texas Highways, visit texashighways.com. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.