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Visit Laredo highlights Taco Trail, Coffee Trail, sister-cities festival and media partnerships
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Summary
Visit Laredo staff said local marketing programs including the Taco Trail and Coffee Trail are attracting hotel and media interest and outlined programming for the sister-cities festival, new activations and partnerships with Mexican media.
Visit Laredo staff told the advisory committee that local branding efforts such as the Taco Trail and Coffee Trail are generating interest among hoteliers, media outlets and tour operators.
"They still appreciate that," a hotelier said of the trails, describing positive guest and media feedback. Staff said media coverage this month included a Road Tripping feature from We Are Austin and a national morning-style show from Monterrey, Viva La Vie, which ran segments focused on sports and the city's assets.
Staff outlined festival planning for the upcoming sister-cities event: opening ceremonies at the arena, more than 200 vendors from Mexico, an artisan lele-doll workshop hosted by Queretaro partners (age and fee restrictions noted: likely 14 and older; $30 suggested in the discussion), and the addition of a 5K and one-mile walk. Staff said exhibitor documentation and visa coordination are being handled with partner organization Hispanic International.
For event activations, staff described a sponsored selfie/photo booth (sponsor logo to appear on take-home prints and digital shares) and a large inflatable lele that will be placed outside the arena during the festival. Staff also noted planning for a hard-hat tour and an October opening for the new DoubleTree hotel; the hotel will have meeting space but a reduced footprint compared with the previous facility.
On sports tourism and the Border Olympics, staff explained the challenge of tracking room nights when participants use third-party short-term rentals or self-book. To estimate economic impact and room needs, staff uses team rosters and schedules to project rooms per team (players, coaches) and conducts post-event surveys for tournaments where feasible. Staff said they coordinate with tournament organizers to obtain estimates and will explore electronic surveys to improve tracking.
Staff asked the committee to help promote the festival, consider sponsorships and support partnerships that extend marketing reach into Mexico and U.S. media markets.
