Tourism office will work to fill Texas
coffers with out-of-state tourist dollars

The slogan, Texas. Its Like a Whole Other Country, has been attracting tourists to the state for more than a decade.

Those of us who serve in the whole other countrys state legislature know how vital tourist dollars are to our states economy. To help ensure that Texas continues to be a major tourist destination, we passed Senate Bill 275 during the regular session of the Legislature last spring.

Senate Bill 275 renames the Texas Department of Economic Development as the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office and makes it a division of the Governors Office with an executive director appointed by the governor. The primary duty of the office will be the promotion of tourism, including out-of-state tourism marketing.

In 2002, travelers spent $41.4 billion in Texas, or $113 million per day. Visitor spending directly supported 451,000 Texas jobs with earnings of $12 billion. Texans employed in the food service, auto transportation, hotel-motel, entertainment, retail sales and public transportation industries are tourisms direct economic beneficiaries, but really and truly all Texans benefit.

For example, tourism spending produced more than $2.2 billion in state taxes last year. Without these taxes paid by visitors to our state, Texans would have had to pay about $700 in additional taxes just to maintain existing services.

In addition to promoting tourism, including out-of-state tourism marketing, the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office will develop a strategic plan to coordinate and evaluate all tourism efforts. In 2001, for example, an estimated 123 million leisure trips were taken to or within Texas, but 83 percent of them were taken by Texans.

Because non-Texans from out-of-state tend to spend more vacation days, Texas must work harder and smarter to attract these tourists, who are also being wooed by national advertising campaigns launched by Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois and Florida.

Out-of-state and intrastate tourism are important economic generators for all six counties in Senate District 25. The states top tourist attractions, the Alamo and the Riverwalk are in Bexar County, while Travis County can claim the State Capitol and the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum. Comal, Guadalupe, Hays and Kendall Counties river resorts, caverns, museums, waterparks and festivals attract visitors from around the world.

While counties in Senate District 25 have tourism marketing strategies, if help is needed, it will be available through the new tourism office. State agencies involved in tourism promotion will work with the office to develop a strategic plan to coordinate and evaluate all tourism efforts.

Texas. Its Like a Whole Other Country, has introduced millions of out-of-state residents to a Texas they never dreamed existed. They came to Texas and discovered that it is not just a hot, dry, flat land covered with cactus.

As current chairman of the newly formed Texas Legislative Tourism Caucus, I will work with the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office to ensure that millions of other potential visitors travel to the friendliest, most diversified and beautiful state of all. Just ask any Texan.

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