Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tourism Economic Impact topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Brazosport tourism director outlines marketing reach, hotel-tax funding uses
Summary
The Brazosport Convention & Visitors Council reported on last year’s marketing reach, occupancy-tax funding, regional partnerships and economic impact for Brazoria County; the director said Freeport-specific projects would be included in areawide campaigns if additional funding were provided.
Edith Fisher, director of tourism for the Brazosport Convention & Visitors Council, presented the council May 19 with an annual report on occupancy-tax-funded promotion for Freeport and neighboring Brazosport cities.
Fisher said the Brazosport program is funded with hotel occupancy taxes collected across Freeport, Clute, Lake Jackson and Surfside Beach. She described partnerships with Visit Houston, the Governor’s Office, the Texas Historical Commission, HGAC and travel platforms such as Expedia to extend the value of the tourism budget through co-ops. “So like for your $5,000 you're getting $150,000 worth of advertising,” Fisher said, describing cooperative advertising arrangements.
Key metrics Fisher provided: the destination website had about 96,000 page views last year, an event-count figure of more than 306,000, and the Brazosport area recorded roughly $475,000,000 in direct travel spending countywide, supporting about 5,800 tourism jobs and $166,000,000 in wages; state and local tax receipts attributed to tourism were approximately $43,000,000.
Fisher also described two special projects: obtaining the Tourism Friendly designation from the Governor’s Office for all four Brazosport cities and hosting a heritage-tourism workshop that included tours of the Freeport Historical Museum. She highlighted upcoming promotions such as a Shop Local Weekend beginning June 20, with a chamber-run receipt contest and $1,000 cash giveaway.
Council members asked about local emphasis and whether the CVB could direct more Freeport-specific advertising. Fisher said the council promotes the entire Brazosport area and would include any new Freeport attractions in area campaigns; additional city funds would increase advertising buys. The council thanked Fisher for the report and marketing plan copy in the meeting packet.
