Manager reports November–December tourism gains, marketing shifts and wayfinding timeline

At a Jan. 28 meeting in Palestine, the manager presented November and December 2024 visitor and lodging data and described upcoming marketing and wayfinding work while the board approved minutes from two prior meetings.

Manager Kristine said the November report showed "ADR was up 11.9% year over year" and that year‑to‑date revenue remained higher than 2023. She told the group occupancy figures were lower in parts of the period covered by the reports and that the Peltex Motel’s rebrand to Budget by OYO had been added to the reporting pool, which lowered some averages because historic data for that property is not yet available.

Why it matters: the manager framed the figures as evidence that revenue and demand were generally stronger than a year earlier even where occupancy fell in some months, and she outlined near‑term marketing and signage steps intended to maintain those gains.

The manager said December’s average daily rate (ADR) “was up almost to $100” and that the office recorded 538 visitor‑center visits for the month, with Saturdays the busiest day; she said 54 of the December visitors came on Saturdays. She attributed two website traffic spikes to parade dates and said no paid social ads ran in December because of staff availability.

On marketing, Kristine said the tourism office asked the advertising group to stop targeting the Tyler‑Longview Designated Market Area and to refocus ad dollars farther afield; she said the ad firm agreed. She also reported Palestine is currently certified as a Film Friendly Texas community and as a digital‑media friendly community, and she described filming work done Dec. 13 for a 2025 ad that will run in San Antonio, Austin and Houston media markets.

Kristine noted an item that local publicity bolstered: she said Texas Monthly named Palestine one of six small‑town Christmases "worth the drive" and that Palestine placed second on that list.

On wayfinding signage, the manager said phase 1 is complete and that dig requests for the remaining sign locations have been submitted for all but one site; she said the project team will install concrete footers and poles first and expected the panels to be mounted closer to March, subject to final manufacturing and utility clearances. She reported Encore was being consulted about poles and power lines.

The board reviewed the tourism office’s strategic plan updates. Kristine said she had annotated the plan with status notes and identified several "low‑hanging fruit" items she believed could be implemented before the end of 2025 and said she was assembling a small committee of board members and community representatives to move those items forward. The group discussed the possibility of promoting scheduled NASA tours but agreed facility staffing at NASA limits regular guided tours; Kristine said she had spoken with NASA and that staff capacity, not lack of interest, was the obstacle to creating a standing tour program.

On housekeeping, the board voted to approve minutes from the Dec. 5, 2024 meeting; a motion and second were recorded and the chair called for the ayes. The board also considered and approved minutes from the Jan. 8, 2025 meeting; the transcript records one person saying "no" during the roll call for that vote but shows the chair declaring the motion passed.

Next steps noted in the meeting: the manager will continue scheduling the strategic‑plan committee meetings, monitor the wayfinding installation timeline and share the first draft of the 2025 ad spot with board members who asked to view it.

The meeting included no formal references to statutes or ordinances and no new contracts were approved.