Tourism In The Coastal Bend
Tourism is a booming industry in the state of Texas. In 2013, over $67.5 billion was directly spent on travel in Texas and tourism directly supported 601,000 jobs across a variety of sectors. 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. Our area is the sixth-most visited destination in the state of Texas.
Last year, the Economic Development & Tourism Division in the Office of the Governor completed a travel report for 2013 on the Corpus Christi Metropolitan Statistical Area. Three counties make up this area: Aransas, Nueces, and San Patricio. The report described visitor trends to the area. According to the report, 88.3% of the visitors to the area for tourism were Texan, and the top three Texan origin locations were San Antonio, Houston, and Corpus Christi itself. The top three non-Texan visitor origins were Monterey-Salinas (Mexico), Hartford & New Haven, Connecticut, and Omaha, Nebraska.
The report also outlined activity categories in which visitors to the Corpus Christi area participated. As you might expect, our beaches are enormous assets to our region and the Coastal Bend. Outdoor sports, such as fishing, hiking, and water sports were popular. Also according to the Governor’s office report, 26.7% 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. The Libation/Culinary categories were at 21.2%. The average length of the stay was 2.04 days. 89.8% of the visitors traveled by automobile, while only 8.9% traveled by air.
According to a 2014 study conducted by Texas A&M Corpus Christi, nature tourism is one of the fastest-growing market segments in tourism. Drawing from annual data in 2012 and 2013, total visitor spending has increased by 55% since 2003. Over 4,500 new direct tourism jobs were created over this period. As of 2013, the tourism industry directly employed over 17,000 people in our area. It is important that we continue to encourage such growth and opportunity in the Coastal Bend and in the state of Texas as a whole.
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 the House floor, committee hearings as well as access to a number of other resources. You can also follow the the Texas Senate. The Texas Governor’s official website can be found at Office of Texas Governor Greg Abbott. For important information regarding transportation in the state, feel free to visit Texas Department of Transportation. Also you can visit The Texas General Land Office, and the Texas Railroad Commission.
As a reminder, the 84th Texas Legislative session began on January 13th and is currently underway. As always, I want to hear your ideas and suggestion. Your ideas and information are important forms of feedback and I hope that you will not hesitate to contact my office.
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.
