Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Effective Date of Current Policy: July 22, 2026

Overview
This document describes Visit San Marcos’ policy regarding personal information, ongoing communication, site security, and overall site usage of visitsanmarcos.com, downtownsmts.com, listensanmarcos.com, smtxarts.com, and all other sites operated by Visit San Marcos. These provisions apply solely to online activities and are not necessarily applicable to practices Visit San Marcos may engage in outside of the website. Use of the website signifies your agreement to the terms and conditions of use set forth in this document. If you do not agree to these terms, you may not access or otherwise use this website.

Cookies
Like most sites, we may automatically collect non-personally identifying information through the use of "cookies" (small text files in the memory of your browser or device that enable a website to recognize a user's device), "pixel tags" (small graphic images that typically work in conjunction with cookies to identify users and user behavior) or similar programs, that track information provided by your browser such as the Internet address of your computer, your mobile device ID, the website you came from, the type of mobile or other device used, to track link clicks, page opens, form submissions, and other data that helps us administer our Website, such as the date, time and page(s) you visited on our Website, the duration of your visit and other anonymous information. Some cookies we use enable us to deliver third-party advertising based on your online activity. Most popular Internet browsers will allow you to configure the browser to reject or block cookies, or notify you when a cookie is set, by accessing the "Help" portion of the toolbar. Please refer to your browser for information on how to disable and control cookies, and note that if you reject or block cookies, it may affect your ability to enjoy the full functionality of our Website.

Collection of Personal Information
On occasion, we ask for personal data on this website. The information is used to fulfill requests you've made of us, such as e-mail updates and brochures by mail, or to use special features of the site. By voluntarily providing personal information, you are consenting to the collection and use of your personal information in accordance with the terms of this Privacy Policy.

You may choose not to use any service that requires the use of your personal information in a manner not described in this Privacy Policy. Your use of visitsanmarcos.com or any other Visit San Marcos online services will be considered as your consent to the use of your personal information in the way described.

If you do not consent to the collection, use, or disclosure of your personal information as outlined in this policy, please do not provide any personal information to Visit San Marcos. If you have provided personal information to us and no longer consent to its use or disclosure as outlined herein, or if you wish to opt out of all further correspondence and notices from Visit San Marcos, please notify us at cvb@sanmarcostx.gov.

Leisure Travelers
E-mail Addresses
As a matter of policy, your e-mail address will not be sold, rented, or shared with any other business or organization. Users who have checked one of our e-mail request buttons may receive travel information on San Marcos. If you wish to be removed from our email lists, click on the unsubscribe link located at the bottom of the email message. Please allow one to two weeks for our list to be updated.

Meeting, Sports, and Tour Planners
Information provided by meeting planners, sporting event professionals, and other travel professionals is reviewed by Visit San Marcos staff to follow up on requests and develop future business. Events booked in San Marcos are printed in the Convention Calendar unless that event is specifically marked confidential. If a meeting is confidential, it is our policy not to list it on any distributed information. Visit San Marcos also uses the provided information for internal purposes, such as e-mail contact.

Security of Personal Information
We exercise reasonable care to protect your non-public personal information. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. So while we strive to protect your non-public personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us or receive from us. This is especially true for information you transmit to us via e-mail. We have no way of protecting that information until it reaches us. Once we receive your transmission, we maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to protect your personal information.

We may disclose information, including non-public personal information, in special cases when we have a good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to legal requirements or comply with the legal process such as, but not limited to, situations when we are required to do so by federal, state or local laws and regulations or when we receive a subpoena or are ordered by a court to do so; (b) protect and defend our rights; or (c) act to protect the interests of our users or others. Additionally, we may, without notice to you, provide aggregate statistics about visitors to the website(s), such as volume, traffic patterns, and related site information to reputable third-party vendors, but these statistics will include no personal information.

Transmission of Information
All personal data provided to Visit San Marcos will be handled in accordance with the Online Privacy Practices. You are prohibited from posting or transmitting to or from this website any unlawful, threatening, libelous, defamatory, obscene, scandalous, inflammatory, pornographic, or profane material, or any other material that could give rise to any civil or criminal liability under the law.

Third-Party Links
VisitSanMarcos.com may contain links to other sites, including those of our business partners. While we try to link only to sites that share our high standards and respect for privacy, we are not responsible for the privacy practices employed by other sites, and those other sites have not agreed to our privacy policy. Visit those sites for information regarding their privacy policy prior to providing personal information.

The links we provide on visitsanmarcos.com are there for your reference and convenience. We do not control any of these websites, nor are we responsible for their content. Visit San Marcos does not imply any endorsement of the material on such websites or any association with their operators by including these links on visitsanmarcos.com. If you decide to access any of these websites, you do so entirely at your own risk, and you should be aware that upon using these links, you will leave visitsanmarcos.com.

Modification of Terms and Conditions
Visit San Marcos reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to change, modify, add, or remove any portion of this Agreement, in whole or in part, at any time. Modification of changes in the Agreement will be posted on the website. Visit San Marcos may change, suspend, or discontinue any aspect of the website at any time, including the availability of any website feature, database, or content. Visit San Marcos may also impose limits on certain features and services or restrict your access to parts or all of the website without notice or liability. By using this website, you agree to be bound by any such revisions and should therefore periodically visit this page to determine the current terms of use to which you are bound.

If you have questions about our privacy policy, email: cvb@sanmarcostx.gov, or write to:

Visit San Marcos
Attn: Website Manager
617 IH-35 North
San Marcos, Texas 78666

If you would like to prevent your data from being used by Google Analytics, install the web browser add-on HERE.

 

Visit San Marcos App & Widget Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy ("Policy") applies to the Visit San Marcos mobile application ("App") and the Visit San Marcos website widget ("Widget"), together with the services Visit San Marcos ("Visit San Marcos," "the organization," "we," or "us") makes available through the App and Widget (collectively, the "Services"). Visit San Marcos is the official destination marketing organization for the City of San Marcos, Texas.

This Policy describes how information is collected, used, and disclosed in connection with the Services. It is separate from, and applies in addition to, the privacy policy that governs the main Visit San Marcos website. If you disagree with the practices described here, please do not use the App or Widget. Continued use of the App or Widget constitutes acceptance of this Policy. This Policy may be updated from time to time, and continued use after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of those changes.

The Services are not intended for children under the age of 13. Visit San Marcos does not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are under 13, please do not use the Services or submit information to us.

Information We Collect

Information You Provide:

  • Name, email address, and similar contact details, if you create an account, sign up for updates, or log in through a third-party account (e.g., Facebook or Google).
  • Interests, preferences, and any places, events, attractions, or tours you add to a personal trip plan or itinerary within the App or Widget.
  • Any information you submit through a contact form, survey, or customer support request.

Location Information:

  • We may use data transmitted from your mobile device to determine your location and use it for the purpose of marketing and analyzing visitor information. This Information allows us to periodically determine your location.  

Device Information:

  • Device Information: We may collect certain information from your mobile device, which may include information about your device; information about your use of features, functions, or notifications on the device; and signal strength relating to WiFi or Bluetooth, and other technical data. We may collect this information even if you are not logged in to the Service.
    • User ID: An automatically generated unique identifier for users (authenticated or anonymous) on the Services.
    • Plan ID: An automatically generated, unique identifier for any user (authenticated or anonymous) that adds any item to their plan in the Services.
    • OneSignal Player ID: An automatically generated, unique identifier for any user who accepts push notifications on the Apps.
    • Firebase Instance ID: An automatically generated, unique identifier for any user that accesses the Services through the Apps.
    • Bluedot User ID: An automatically generated unique identifier for any user who accepts location and notification services on the Apps.
    • IDFA: An automatically generated unique identifier for any user that accesses the Services through the Apps.
  • Cookie Information: We may place small files, known as “cookies,” on the hard drive of your computer to save your preferences. You may disable browser cookies, but then you may be unable to access certain features of the App or Widget.
  • Non-Identifying Information:  We may collect other non-identifying information.

 

How We Use Information

We use information that we collect or that you provide, including any personal information to:

  • Register Your Account: Your name, email, and other information you share are used to register your account and allow you to use our Service on the same device in the future, as well as on other devices from which you access the Services.
  • Maintain Your Plan & Preferences: Your interest selections and any places, events, and tours added to your plan are used to persist your plan on the same device in the future, as well as on other devices from which you access the Services.
  • Enhance or Improve the Service: Your account information and preference selections are stored and used to enhance your use of the Services and to understand how you use our Service.
    • Device Information:
      • User ID: Your User ID is used to enable cross-device use of the Services.
      • Plan ID: Your Plan ID is used to enable the saving of unique plans for use on the same device or other devices from which you access the Services.
      • OneSignal Player ID:  The OneSignal Player ID is a UUID (Unique Universal Identifier) that OneSignal creates per device per OneSignal App ID. The Player ID is generated based on the Google Advertising ID for Android and identifierForVendor for iOS.  It is used for the delivery of notifications to App users of the Services who have accepted notifications on their device.
      • Firebase Instance ID: Google’s Firebase Instance IDs are used to identify individual installations of the apps for the purpose of improving the Services through monitoring analytics, crashes, and Android Cloud Messaging.
      • Bluedot User ID: The Bluedot User IDs are dynamically generated, unique identifies per installation of the app to connect the data generated by each device for the purpose of delivering location based notifications to improve the Services and provide notifications about nearby attractions of internest.
      • IDFA: The Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) is a random device identifier assigned by Apple to a user’s device. The IDFA is used to deliver customized advertising. The IDFA is used for tracking and identifying a user without revealing personal information.
  • Send you emails and respond to inquiries.
  • Provide user support.
  • Carry out other purposes that are disclosed to you and to which you consent.

Disclosure of Information

  • We may share information with vendors and service providers who support the App and Widget on our behalf (for example, app development, analytics, hosting, or notification delivery providers), under obligations to keep the information confidential and to use it only for the purposes for which it was shared.

  • We may disclose information if required to do so by law, court order, or governmental request; if we believe disclosure is necessary to investigate or prevent a violation of law or our terms; or if we believe someone is at risk of harm.

  • We may also report you and release your information to third parties if we believe that it is proper to do so for legal reasons. You release us from any damages that may arise from or relate to the release of your information under the conditions listed in this paragraph.

Your Choices, Access, and Deletion

  • If you have created an account, you may review and update your information by accessing your account settings within the App. You may disable location services, push notifications, or cookies at any time through your device or browser settings, though doing so may limit certain features.
  • You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal information by contacting us at cvb@sanmarcostx.gov. We periodically delete information in accordance with our data retention practices, but we cannot guarantee immediate deletion from all systems, backups, or your device's local cache.

Third-Party Links and Services

The App and Widget may contain links to third-party websites, ticketing platforms, or partner services (such as local businesses, attractions, or event organizers). These third parties are not reviewed by Visit San Marcos for privacy or security practices, and we are not responsible for their content or conduct. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party site or service you visit.

Security

We use commercially reasonable measures designed to protect the information collected through the App and Widget. However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. To protect your personal information, we recommend you use firewalls, anti-virus, spyware, and other encryption methods when submitting personal information or content to us

Cross-Border and Cross-State Transfer

Your information may be transferred to, and stored on, computers located outside of your state or province. We may transfer personal information to the United States and process it there. Your use of the Service constitutes your agreement to that transfer.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons. The effective date at the top of this Policy indicates when it was last revised. Material changes will be posted within the App or Widget.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Policy or wish to exercise any privacy rights described above, please email: cvb@sanmarcostx.gov, or write to:

Visit San Marcos
Attn: Website Manager
617 IH-35 North
San Marcos, Texas 78666

Visit San Marcos Social Media Moderation Policy

The purpose of the Visit San Marcos social media pages is to keep our residents, businesses, and visitors updated with the most recent news, events, and information related to San Marcos. This site welcomes family-friendly comments and posts. In addition to the Facebook Content Code of Conduct, the City Communications Department reserves the right to enforce the rules contained in this policy. The City of San Marcos is not responsible for the content, nor does it endorse any site that has a link from this page. All content, comments, and replies posted are subject to the Texas Public Information Act and are considered public information under that State law and may be disclosed in response to a request for information from any member of the public. Content and comments containing any of the following are not allowed for posting on this page and will be removed:

a) Profane language or off-topic content;

b) Personal attacks or harassment of individuals or specific groups;

c) Hateful or discriminatory comments regarding race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, political beliefs, or any other form of discrimination;

d) Political or religious advocacy or commentary;

e) Links or comments containing sexually explicit content material;

f) Conduct or encouragement of illegal activity;

g) Information that may tend to compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems;

h) Content that includes personally identifiable information within their comments, including addresses, telephone numbers, or email addresses;

i) Attacks on specific groups or any comments meant to harass, threaten, or abuse an individual;

j) Commercial solicitations or advertisements;

k) Unsolicited videos;

l) Content that violates any law, confidentiality, copyright, or plagiarizes material; or

m) Spam, link baiting, or files containing viruses that could damage the operation of other people’s computers or mobile devices. Those individuals who fail to follow these guidelines may be banned from the page at any time. The City's Communications Office reserves the right to use its discretion to delete or hide posts that are determined to be in violation of these guidelines.