On May 14, Bay Area Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, hosted their Annual State of the Lake Tourism Address on the heels of National Travel and Tourism Week.
Tourism’s economic impact on the area was a major part of the event’s discussion, especially considering the past year’s increase in revenues relating to sales tax and hotel occupancy tax —  both of which the travel and tourism industry use to gauge successful destination marketing.Â
“[The event] provides an excellent opportunity to educate our members on what’s happening around the Clear Lake Bay Area Houston region to attract visitors,” says Cindy Harreld, Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO. “The tourism industry is key to our local economy and we appreciate what the Bay Area Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau bring to our community.”
As a result of the region’s destination marketing, there has been $67 billion of direct travel spending in the Greater Houston area. The addition of several new visitor attractions is expected to draw more visitors, including the upcoming exhibit of the Shuttle Aircraft Carrier, the expansion of Baybrook Mall into the second largest mall in the Greater Houston Area, the new circular roller coaster “Flare” at the Kemah Boardwalk, and several new restaurants and shopping venues.
“Visitors to the Bay Area Houston region are an important component in the economic well-being of our region,” says Pam Summers, BAHCVB president and CEO. “As we continue to market the region as an appealing destination for tourists, meetings, social occasions and business, more and more potential visitors become our guests, reflected by the increase in hotel occupancy tax and sales tax revenues to the region.”
