Texas Governor Greg Abbott is pitching the State of Texas as a top-notch destination with the launch of the new Tourism Friendly Texas Certified Community program. This initiative, part of the Governor's Office of Economic Development and Tourism, beckons Texas communities to step up their travel appeal factor.
"Texas is one of the top travel destinations for visitors from across the nation and around the world," Abbott declared, touting the state's hefty $187.5 billion economic punch from travelers in 2022. According to a press release from the governor's office, Texas communities keen on jazzing up tourism can now chase the new certification, aimed at tapping into Travel Texas's wealth of expertise and partnerships to amp up local economies and job markets.
Travel Texas Director Tim Fennell spotlights the substantial stash of cash visitors bring to Texas's table, critical for the state and grassroots economic growth. "The Tourism Friendly Texas Certified Community designation is an opportunity for communities across Texas to show their commitment to tourism as an economic development strategy," Fennell explained.
Striving for Certified Community status offers perks aplenty, including schmoozing with important figures in tourism, schooling local chiefs on tourism's fiscal might, and gaining the skinny on state-supported tourism perks. In a whirl of visitor spending, travelers plopped down an estimated $91.7 billion in Texas in 2022, giving rise to 1.2 million jobs and $67.6 billion in wages.
With a spotlight on positioning Texas as a primo travel spot for outsiders and international sightseers alike, Travel Texas operates under the umbrella of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Tourism. To get the lowdown on the program or for Texas communities to throw their hats in the ring, details can be scooped from the governor's tourism page.
