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Pasadena wins Tourism Friendly Texas certification; EDC launches retail survey
Summary
Travel Texas recognized Pasadena as a Tourism Friendly Texas certified community at the April 7 council meeting; the city’s economic-development staff also invited residents to complete a retail-survey to guide business recruitment.
At the April 7 meeting, a representative from the governor’s office formally recognized the City of Pasadena as a Tourism Friendly Texas certified community and several local partners were acknowledged for support.
Maline Phillips of the governor’s office (Travel Texas) said Pasadena completed the certification process and praised local leadership, singling out Joe Estrada and the Pasadena Economic Development Corporation. Phillips presented statistics she attributed to 2024 tourism activity — including $277 million in direct annual spending and about $15 million in local taxes — and said visitation had reduced taxes per household by $1,000 in 2024, a figure she used to illustrate tourism’s local economic benefit.
Karina Tomlinson of the Pasadena Economic Development Corporation invited residents to take a new retail survey to help shape the types of restaurants, stores and services the city seeks to recruit; she distributed copies in council seats and posted the survey on the EDC website.
Council members and state representatives framed the certification as a community achievement intended to support small businesses and create jobs; no formal council action was required other than acceptance of the presentation.
