Alamo City accolade

Alamo City crowned world's top tourist destination for 2018 once again

For the second time in two weeks, San Antonio is declared one of the world's hottest travel destinations.

Alongside exotic destinations like the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires and the African nation of Zambia, San Antonio has been crowned by Travel+Leisure magazine as one of the 50 best places to travel in 2018.

The Travel+Leisure accolade comes on the heels of National Geographic Traveler magazine adding San Antonio to its lineup of the 21 must-visit destinations for 2018. San Antonio is one of only three U.S. cities among the 21 destinations.

Reacting to the nod from National Geographic Traveler, Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit San Antonio, called the Alamo City “one of the most authentic, culturally celebrated destinations in the world.” San Antonio draws more than 34 million visitors a year.

Travel+Leisure offers a litany of reasons to visit San Antonio next year, including the debut of the $13 million Confluence Park on January 17, completion of the $16 million Ruby City art museum in late 2018, and the year-long commemoration of the city’s 300th anniversary.

“We are looking forward to welcoming and celebrating along with visitors to San Antonio on this historic and significant moment in our city’s history," says Matej. "[This] will be a significant year as we proudly kick off our tricentennial and welcome in the next 300 years of San Antonio’s evolution.”

Travel+Leisure also takes note of several tourist-friendly advancements in Alamo City over the past several months, such as the opening of the $22 million expansion at the San Antonio Botanical Garden; the premiere of the city’s first food hall at the Pearl mixed-use development; and the replacement of old gas-fueled passenger barges along the River Walk with colorful electric-powered boats.

The magazine adds that soon-to-open boutique lodging properties such as the $116 million Thompson San Antonio Hotel and the 100-room Saint Hotel San Antonio “hint that San Antonio’s heyday is just beginning.”

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Richest san antonians

2 San Antonio billionaires land on Forbes' new list of richest Americans

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Two of San Antonio's billionaires – Charles Butt and Eleanor Butt Crook – have made the cut on the newForbes 400, a list of the 400 richest people in the United States for 2024.

H-E-B chairman Charles Butt is the 14th richest Texan and the 122nd richest person in the United States, according to Forbes' list, released October 1.

Forbes estimates Butt's net worth in 2024 as $8.9 billion, which has increased slightly from his 2023 net worth of $7.5 billion. Butt, 86, has been working for the cult-favorite grocery chain since he was eight years old. His grandmother, Florence Butt, founded H-E-B in 1905. In 1971, Charles became the CEO and chairman of the company.

"[Charles] handed the CEO job to nephew Howard Butt III in 2021," Forbes wrote in his profile. "Howard is also on the board of directors."

H-E-B has generated $42.5 billion in annual revenue, and the Butt family owns about 90 percent of the company, Forbes says.

Charles' sister, Eleanor Butt Crook, is a returnee to the Forbes 400 list this year, tying as the 359th richest person in the United States. Crook, 93, has a net worth of $3.7 billion. She serves on H-E-B's board of directors but does not have an active role in daily operations of the company, Forbes says.

"She and her late husband, Ambassador William Crook, started the Eleanor Crook Foundation to fight global malnutrition in 1997," her profile says.

The Forbes 400list is a definitive ranking of the wealthiest Americans, using interviews, financial data, and documentation provided by billionaires and their companies.

According to the report, America's elite class is now worth $5.4 trillion collectively, which is a $1 trillion jump since 2023.

“The Forbes 400 is richer than ever, and it’s harder than ever to be one of the 400 richest people in America," said Forbes senior editor Chase Peterson-Withorn in a press release.

In all, 43 Texas billionaires made the list.

Unsurprisingly, Austin resident Elon Musk ranks No. 1 nationally for the third time, with a net worth of $244 billion. Despite ranking at the top of the list this year, Musk's net worth has actually dropped by $7 billion since 2023.

Find all the Texans on the new Forbes 400 list here.

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