Visit Laredo reviews marketing push, event calendar and lodging performance; approves routine motions

The Visit Laredo board reviewed a package of marketing and tourism operations updates on Feb. 6, including cross-promotions with cultural partners, a refresh of social media strategy, plans for a mobile visitor center and an events calendar heavy with sports tournaments and festivals.

Staff told the board that promotional activity in Mexico and Texas — including a resumed small commercial flight linking Monterrey and Laredo and ongoing outreach to meeting planners — has generated inquiries and steady demand. Staff also briefed the board on hotel-occupancy and visitor-spend figures and proposed continuing monthly hotel visits and outreach to support local lodging providers.

The matters matter because tourism and convention business drive hotel nights, retail and restaurant spending in Laredo. Board members pressed staff for more targeted promotion, better distribution of printed literature at nearby hotel racks and cultural venues, and closer coordination with a new city marketing/communications position now being filled.

Staff presentations and board discussion

Staff reported multiple promotional initiatives: targeted outreach to San Antonio and other Texas markets, partnerships to place Visit Laredo materials at neighboring hotels’ brochure racks, cross-promotion with arts and cultural organizations, and plans to expand giveaways and social campaigns to increase visibility. Marketing staff said they have a podcast available on Spotify and are testing new content and reporting metrics to improve engagement.

The board discussed using printed collateral in Mexico (Monterrey, Mexico City and Saltillo were mentioned as outreach points) and working with hotel managers and commercial partners to distribute visitor guides. Staff said they are preparing a printed packet and will travel regularly to Mexican markets to promote Semana Santa and other travel periods.

Events and visitor programs

Board materials and staff reports listed a packed events calendar for the coming months: college golf, baseball, softball, tennis, track and field, a Burning Festival, a coffee-tour promotion that now includes about 15–16 coffee shops, and a Laredo Taco Trail pilot project. Staff described outreach to RV and leisure-travel groups (RTV/RV connections) and reported work on a mobile Visit Laredo visitor center intended for fairs and off-site promotion.

Staff also said an ongoing direct-flight service to Monterrey has proven popular; staff reported the flights use small aircraft (single-rotation flights with aircraft seating in the single digits to low double digits) and carry several passengers per trip. (Specific schedules and carrier names were not specified in the board packet.)

Performance metrics and budget notes

Staff presented the tourism dashboard and budget-to-date. The materials showed projections and actuals; staff noted a roughly $40,000 shortfall in November tax receipts compared with that month’s projection. The dashboard presented occupancy and spending figures (examples in the packet: average visitor spend reported near $95; occupancy figures cited in different market slices ranged from the high 60s to mid-70s percent; average daily rate figures were reported in the packet but varied by market and reporting period). Board members asked staff to investigate month-to-month drivers for revenue variance and to consider targeted promotions to improve off-peak results.

Hotel outreach and quality checks

Board members pressed staff to continue monthly hotel visits and to provide more systematic feedback about property conditions and services. Staff said they visit five to 10 hotels monthly, take photos and collect notes about renovations or guest-service issues, and that they will consider a formal survey of hotel conditions to help meeting planners and larger group bookers.

Accessibility and certification work

Staff reported progress on destination-certification efforts aimed at accessibility; the board was told the destination-audience certification was in its final steps and a separate “9% process” for a product/service rollout is expected to launch in a few months. Specific program names and the agencies involved were discussed in general terms in the packet and during the meeting.

Votes at a glance

- Excuse absence of Raymond Cunningham — motion approved (tally reported as yes: 2); mover/second not specified in the record. Note: the minutes state Cunningham was excused due to a funeral. - Adjourn meeting — motion approved (second: Oliver Bierrer; tally reported as yes: 2)

What’s next

Staff will follow up with a more detailed breakdown of the November revenue variance, continue monthly hotel visits and report back on progress for the mobile visitor center and the accessibility/destination certification efforts. The board scheduled its next meeting for March 3.

(Administrative note: the board’s packet and on‑record comments contained several numerical summaries and slides; figures in this story are drawn from those packet items and the meeting discussion. Where the packet presented multiple figures for different reporting periods, this article reflects the range discussed rather than a single consolidated number.)