CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas —
Visit Corpus Christi tells 3NEWS that Coastal Bend tourism brought in more than $1.4 billion in 2022.
While last year's total is still being finalized, the tourism bureau says they expect it to be higher than 2022's figure.
Visit Corpus Christi is hoping to capitalize on that momentum through their Workforce and Summer Summits, an initiative to get Corpus Christi businesses, hotels and restaurants ready for the peak of tourism season. The first summit sessions are scheduled Wednesday morning. Those interested in attending can find more information here.
"Corpus Christi is a tourism town. We welcome nine million visitors annually to the Coastal Bend, but we employ 28,000 people. With 100 days of peak tourism season, it's important that we're maximizing their experience in the Coastal Bend," Visit Corpus Christi's chief of staff Meredith Darden said.
The event will feature speakers from the Texas Hotel Lodging Association and Texas Restaurant Association, so local tourism partners are sure get those most out of their participation and be more than ready for the summer season.
She adds that the goal of their tourism workforce and summer summits is to enhance hospitality excellence. That means making sure their partners have a qualified, well-trained and well-supported workforce.
"But also, that they know about the tourism experiences that are existing in the Coastal Bend for visitors to enjoy,” Darden said. “If somebody is coming in for a beach weekend, how do we maximize their impact, get them off the beaches and into our restaurants, our attractions, our venues, spending money and giving back to the Coastal Bend and truly enjoying the Gulf Coast Capital?"
These summits offer tourism partners a chance to collaborate and stay up to date on tourism opportunities across the city - something that Darden says is a vital contribution to the city's economic growth.
“We all eat in restaurants. We all patronize local businesses. We maybe don't stay in a hotel every day in Corpus Christi, but we all benefit from having the quality of that tourism brings to the Coastal Bend," she said.
With millions of people heading to the Coastal Bend during the summer, Darden says she hopes these summits leave tourism partners better equipped to show visitors all that the city has to offer.