Tourism In The Coastal Bend
Tourism is a booming industry in the state of Texas. In 2014, over $70.6 billion was directly spent on travel in Texas, a 4.7 percent increase over 2013. Tourism directly supported 630,000 jobs across a variety of sectors, representing a 3.3 percent increase from the previous year. This week, with Spring approaching and with Summer not far away, I want to take the opportunity to discuss tourism and travel which are important economic engines for the Coastal Bend region. Our area remains the sixth-most visited destination in the state of Texas (out of 26 metropolitan statistical areas).
In 2015, the Economic Development & Tourism Division in the Office of the Governor released a new travel report on the Corpus Christi Metropolitan Statistical Area (Corpus Christi and Port Aransas). Three counties make up this area: Aransas, Nueces, and San Patricio. The report described visitor trends to the area in 2014. According to the report, 89.6% of the visitors to the area for tourism were Texan, and the top three Texas locations of origin were the San Antonio, Houston, and Corpus Christi/Port Aransas areas. The top three non-Texan visitor origins were Omaha, Nebraska, Colorado-Pueblo Springs, Colorado, and Portland, Oregon. Last year, Monterey-Salinas (Mexico), Hartford & New Haven, Connecticut, and Omaha, Nebraska were the top three non-Texan visitor origins.
The report also outlined activity categories in which visitors to the Corpus Christi/Port Aransas area participated. As you might expect, our beaches are enormous assets to our region and the Coastal Bend – 45.1% of activities could be attributed to the “Nature” category, including beach/waterfront, wildlife viewing, and parks. The category for outdoor sports, which includes fishing, hiking, and water sports, was also extremely popular – accounting for 17.0% of stays. Also according to the Governor’s office report, 32.6 % of the activities visitors engaged in were within the Culture category, which included visiting historic sites, touring and sightseeing, and visiting museums and art exhibits. This figure was at 26.7% the previous year. The Libation/Culinary categories, which include “culinary/dining experiences” and “winery/distillery/brewery tours,” represented 17.3% of visits. The average length of the stay was 2.3 days – longer than last year. Visitors traveling by automobile accounted for 91.8% of the method of travel, while 6.0% traveled by air, for an average distance traveled of 263 miles.
This report released by the governor’s office also included demographic profiles of visitors to our area. The average age of visitors was 44.9 years old. 18-34 year olds accounted for 30.2% of visits, 35-49 year olds accounted for 32.6%, 55-64 year olds for 22.5%, and 65+ years for 14.7%. The average household income of visitors was $79,905, and the average visitor spent $110.80/per day. These facts and figures can be located at Texas Travel.
If you would like to follow the Texas House and learn more information on news, committees or other aspects of the legislative body, you can access its website at Texas House of Representatives. The site features live streaming from committee hearings as well as access to a number of other resources. You can also follow the Texas Senate at Texas Senate. For important information regarding transportation in the state, feel free to visit the Texas Department of Transportation. Other references are the Texas General Land Office, or visit the Texas Railroad Commission.
If you have questions regarding any of the information mentioned in this week’s article, please do not hesitate to call my Capitol or District Office. Please always feel free to contact my office if you have any questions or issues regarding a Texas state agency, or if you would like to contact my office regarding constituent services. As always, my offices are available at any time to assist with questions, concerns or comments (Capitol Office, 512-463-0672; District Office, 361-949-4603).
– State Representative Todd Hunter, District 32
Rep. Hunter represents Nueces (Part) County. He can be contacted at todd.hunter@house.state.tx.us or at 512-463-0672.
