On Sept. 24, Visit College Station, the newly created city tourism division for the Heart of Texas A&M University, announced a strategic partnership with Santa's Wonderland – the largest outdoor Christmas attraction in the southern United States.
Santa's Wonderland hosts more than 300,000 visitors annually and is poised to welcome even more travelers, thanks to an exciting expansion to the already unrivaled holiday destination. New for this year is Illuminations Ice Arena, the region's premier outdoor ice-skating venue. Guests will glide on a sheet of real ice while surrounded by thousands of holiday lights under the Texas stars. Other new attractions are Santa's Farm and a second Trail of Lights – vast, walkable elements with family-friendly adventures along the way, including hand-crafted Texas light displays, tunnels, and a live nativity scene.
The partnership created by Visit College Station and Santa's Wonderland will encourage visitors to the attraction to extend their holiday stay in College Station at a variety of “Santa-Certified” hotels and enjoy Christmas in College Station: a host of holiday events at local restaurants, bars, shops, and entertainment venues. Christmas in College Station offerings range from Howdy Holly-Days at Northgate and the Holiday Artisan Market at Century Square to Spirit Arena's Ice Shows and the city’s traditional Christmas in the Park.
“More than 80% of our visitors come to us from other parts of Texas and beyond, and for most, it's their very first trip to College Station,” says Scott Medlin, owner of Santa's Wonderland. “While this won't be a typical year, we still plan on hiring 1,200 team members, revealing our biggest expansion in park history, and letting our guests enjoy more acres, more snow, [and] more lights – [as well as] all the other wonderful holiday events awaiting them in College Station.”
The tourism impact of Visit College Station and Santa’s Wonderland working together should be significant, according to Kindra Fry, senior director for Visit College Station.
“Strategic, forward-looking partnerships like this will allow us to help boost College Station's hospitality industry and overall economy during a challenging time,” Fry says. “We’re ready to welcome our guests and help them create wonderful memories.”
