The San Antonio Missions have officially been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site at the annual UNESCO World Heritage committee meeting in Bonn, Germany. The five Missions are the largest collection of the Spanish colonial architecture in the U.S., and are the third designation in the country in the last 20 years.
“The United States has a powerful and valuable history that encompasses a wide range of peoples, creeds and experiences,” said Crystal Nix-Hines, U.S. ambassador and permanent representative to UNESCO. “The San Antonio Missions represent an important element of our story, and a World Heritage designation allows them to be shared not only within the U.S. but also the wider global community.”
For San Antonio, tourism is one of the city’s top five industries, providing one in eight jobs and more than $12 billion annually. By 2025, the World Heritage Site economic impact on San Antonio and Bexar County is expected to generate an additional $44 million -$105 million in economic activity, with over 1,100 newly created jobs.
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