Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tourism topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Visit Austin says convention center and TPID poised to boost hotel tax revenue
Summary
Visit Austin reported strong visitor spending and a growing convention pipeline, outlined TPID incentives to drive room nights during the convention‑center period, and said a portion of TPID revenue will support homeless‑service funding directed through the city.
Tom Noonan, president and CEO of Visit Austin, told the Downtown Commission that tourism remains a major economic engine for the city and that Visit Austin is executing a multi‑pronged sales strategy tied to the new convention center and the TPID hotel assessment.
"Last year we had 30 million domestic visitors. We saw about $11.4 billion in visitor spending, and we support almost 152,000 jobs in the city," Noonan said, summarizing recent tourism indicators and explaining the organization's role in selling Austin as a meetings and events destination.
Noonan described bookings tied to the new convention center (he said the team already had a number of "definite" and "verbal definite" commitments and many tentatives), and explained TPID, a 2% self‑assessed hotel fee that funds sales and marketing. He said Visit Austin and TPID are using incentive programs (the HIP program and a "mini‑wide" approach) to drive room nights while the convention center is under construction. Noonan also said roughly 20% of TPID proceeds will flow to the city, dedicated to homeless causes; he estimated that could translate into "somewhere between $4 and $5 million every year going forward."
The presentation also covered Visit Austin's partnerships and programs: the Phillips Building visitor center, a music‑bookings program that routes local musicians to events, and targeted international marketing (including new efforts in Mexico and Europe). Commissioners asked about wages in hospitality jobs and legal uses of hotel tax; Noonan said hotel‑tax revenues are legally limited to specified uses (arts, heritage, convention functions and related promotion) and are not available for general public safety programs.
Commissioners thanked Visit Austin and asked staff for follow‑up materials (for example, the slide deck and comparative tax‑collection data), which Noonan said he would provide.
