Kerrville, Fredericksburg CVBs tell Austin commission regional partnerships can extend visitor stays and spending

Julie Davis, president and CEO of the Kerrville Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Karen Mayo, vice president of sales and strategic alliances for the Fredericksburg Convention and Visitor Bureau, told the Austin Tourism Commission on Sept. 10 that closer cooperation between Austin and nearby Hill Country destinations can increase overnight stays and regional visitor spending.

Davis said Kerrville “sees Austin as an anchor in Texas tourism” and described the city’s mix of outdoors, arts and meeting space. “We have 15 traditional hotel properties with a little over 1,100 hotel rooms,” Davis said, and noted Kerrville’s conference-capable meeting space, multiple parks and a six-mile river trail. She told commissioners that Kerrville’s visitor economy supports direct travel jobs and generates hotel revenue and tax receipts that she said help reduce property-tax burdens for residents.

Mayo said Fredericksburg complements Austin with a different kind of draw — wineries, German-Texan heritage and small-town…