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Waxahachie receives Travel Texas 'Tourism Friendly' designation after yearlong application process
Summary
City staff said Waxahachie completed an application and training process and was among 14 of 65 applicants to receive Travel Texas' Tourism Friendly Certified Community designation; the city acknowledged partners and staff who worked on the application.
The Waxahachie City Council on Tuesday recognized the city’s receipt of the Tourism Friendly Certified Community designation from Travel Texas after a yearlong application and review process led by the city’s Convention and Visitors Bureau staff.
Laurie, a member of the Convention and Visitors Bureau staff, told the council the process began with a letter of intent in January, followed by a community profile questionnaire, an organization information questionnaire, four letters of support and online training modules. "Basically, the process started last January when we had to submit a letter of intent to take and seek this certification," Laurie said. She added the city completed a final interview in September and received notification in December that Waxahachie had met the program’s requirements.
Laurie said 65 cities applied this year and that Waxahachie was among the first group approved; she said Waxahachie was number 14 of the 65 cities to receive the designation. She thanked local stakeholders who supplied letters of support, including Ellis County Judge Todd Little, U.S. Rep. Jake Ellzey, the Waxahachie County Merchants Association and Historic Waxahachie, Inc. She also credited the city’s tourism team—Monica Boyd, Danielle Gwynn and Laurie—and downtown ambassador Wally Mendez for their roles in the effort.
The council read a proclamation describing several tourism assets in Waxahachie, including the historic downtown Ellis County Courthouse, the Waxahachie Sports Complex, the Waxahachie Civic Center, the Ellis County Expo Center, the Scarborough Renaissance Festival, the Texas Motorplex, multiple registered historic districts, 20 parks and local festivals. The proclamation also refers to Waxahachie’s designation as a film- and music-friendly community.
Council members congratulated staff. Councilman Michael Atkins described the certification as "no small deal" and thanked Laurie and the team for their work.
The council did not record a formal vote linked to the designation during the meeting; the proclamation and staff remarks recognized the award and local partners.
