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Breaking Waves: Dive into Corpus Christi's
Top 5 Tourism Tidbits! 🏝
Monthly Data Snapshot: Check out our monthly tourism data snapshot to ensure your business decisions are well-informed and backed up. For instance, Corpus Christi hotels have continued to see strong increases in occupancy compared to last year, ending January with a double-digit increase in RevPAR while similar destinations experienced occupancy decreases. Preliminary February numbers indicate that these demand increases did not slow down throughout the remainder of winter. Workforce and Summer Summit : Save the date and learn how your business can be peak season ready with the annual Visit Corpus Christi Workforce and Summer Summit on April 17. Global Meetings Industry Day: On April 11th, Visit Corpus Christi will host a Corpus Christi “Global Meeting Industry Day” event joining the annual worldwide recognition of Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) and championing the benefits of professional meetings and events held in the Gulf Coast Capital. - Portrait of the American Traveler: MMGY Global’s Portrait of American Travelers® deals exclusively with leisure travel. The travel trend information presented in this report was obtained from interviews with 4,501 U.S. adults in October 2023.
Partner Acknowledgments: Visit Corpus Christi extends heartfelt congratulations to our esteemed partners at the Art Museum of South Texas for receiving two well-deserved Texas Travel Awards. The accolades encompassed the Best Event category, specifically for their Artrageous annual fundraiser, and the Best Social Media for a Midsize Attraction.
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Organizational & Operations
The Visit Corpus Christi team secured several Addy awards at this year's Corpus Christi American Advertising Awards. The team earned GOLD for the "Where the Sun Meets the Coast" video campaign and the Corpus Christi Brand Anthem commercial spot, as well as a SILVER award for the State of Tourism Awards Gala. Additionally, we received Best of Film Video & Sound recognition for the "Where the Sun Meets the Coast" video campaign. Furthermore, graphic design intern Grace Prusha was recognized with several awards, including Best of Show in the student category and the Yvonne Peters Olvey Scholarship. During a break from the Business Professionals of America Conference, Visit Corpus Christi hosted hospitality students from the University of Texas - RGV. The leadership emphasized potential opportunities within the tourism and hospitality sector in Corpus Christi. Visit Corpus Christi is actively collaborating with the Dean of the hospitality school to establish an internship pipeline for local hospitality businesses.
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Convention Sales & Services
- The Destination Services team attended the 2024 Event Service Professionals Association Annual Conference, dedicated to and created for event service professionals across North America from DMOs, convention centers, hotels, and other event venues that come together for valuable industry educational content and peer networking. Mallori was a member of the Conference Hospitality Committee and led a session for fellow attendees about crafting memorable experiences in your destination and positioning Meet Corpus Christi as an industry wide, subject matter expert.
Meet Corpus Christi welcomed Texas Business Professionals of America (BPA) back to Corpus Christi! BPA Texas held their Annual State Conference in Corpus Christi from February 28 – March 2 for the seventh time since 1996. This group brought over 4,000 people to our city and is estimated to have an economic impact of over $2 million dollars. BPA is a national organization with state chapters for middle level, high school, and college students who are preparing to become global professionals through the advancement of leadership, citizenship, academic, and technological skills. For reference, the metric table is below.
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Marketing & Communications
- Select team members of the Marketing and Communications team had the opportunity to attend the Destinations International Marketing and Communications Summit, furthering their expertise in the industry's best practices and innovative ways to continue marketing the Gulf Coast Capital.
As a result of a previous media hosting, on behalf of Visit Corpus Christi, the Art Museum of South Texas has been selected for Newsweek's compilation of top art museums. This recognizes the museum's unique collections, exquisite architecture, and gorgeous water views! Visit Corpus Christi's Public Relations efforts have secured the Gulf Coast Capital a spot on the "15 Best Spring Break Getaways in the U.S." article for The Points Guy. Corpus Christi was featured alongside destinations like Monterey, California and Maui, Hawaii, positioning the Gulf Coast Capital as a top leisure destination for travelers to their audience of over 10 million a month. Visit Corpus Christi and Professional Bull Riders (PBR) have teamed up to enhance the excitement of the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals in Corpus Christi from May 7-11, coinciding with the Annual Buc Days Rodeo. The strategic partnership includes a campaign targeting rodeo enthusiasts, promoting a Coastal Cowboy Experience giveaway, resulting in over 3,000 signups within the first week, and national exposure through in-arena promotions and commercials during the Velocity Tour.
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Sports Commission
The Coastal Bend Sports Hall of Fame and Awards Show has been announced and will take place on June 6, 2024. To inquire about event sponsorships, please reach out to Joey Jewell at Joey@VisitCorpusChristi.com. In February, The Corpus Christi Sports Commission orchestrated a variety of events, including high school and collegiate baseball & softball tournaments, the Corpus Christi Hooks hosting university series, HEB Tennis Center's invitational, a youth 4H Shoot by Buc Days, and the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi Golf's Islander Invitational Joey Jewell attended the 2024 Chief Executive Summit hosted by the industry’s national association, Sports ETA. The event encompassed two days of education and networking that covered a wide range of topics including funding strategies for sports facilities, artificial intelligence in sports tourism, name image and likeness in collegiate sports, and current trends and disruptors in the industry.
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Experience & Visitor Services
The Gulf Coasters Crew will operate from March 9th to the conclusion of spring break on March 16th, engaging visitors in North Beach, Downtown, Padre Island, and Mustang Island. Subsequently, throughout April, they will be stationed daily from 10 am to 6 pm at the Visitor Information Center in Water Street Market and they will also have a weekly presence at the Visitor Info Center tiki hut inside the Corpus Christi International Airport. Join us at the Visitor Information Center in Water Street Market on April 5th during the Art Walk for a special Waves of Sustainability showcase featuring Public Information Officer Kelly Taylor and park rangers from Padre Island National Seashore. From 9 AM to 8 PM during the First Friday Artwalk, explore interactive games promoting sustainable practices and connect with our Experience Team to enhance your guest experience and prepare for the upcoming spring and summer season in Corpus Christi. Visit Corpus Christi showcased its vibrant coastal charm at this year's Barefoot Mardi Gras Parade, captivating attendees with the iconic Gulf Coaster golf carts and several giveaways. Before the event, our collaborative efforts included strategic promotion and the development of a comprehensive survey, ensuring a memorable experience while paving the way for future growth and community engagement. - The seawall experience in downtown Corpus Christi is slated to be enhanced with "See You on the Seawall," an initiative to activate the Corpus Christi seawall over the 100 days of Summer. This experience is in collaboration with local artists, the Parks and Recreation department, and the Film and Music Commission. Artists interested in being a part of the considered data base to perform on the seawall can sign up here.
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Film and Music Commission
Corpus Christi native and award-winning Latina filmmaker, Sharon Arteaga was welcomed back to the Gulf Coast Capital for a special film screening of her award-winning film, "In Tow". The event came to fruition in partnership with the CC Ritz theater and highlighted Arteaga's numerous short film achievements including her win at the 2021 HBO Latinx Short Film Competition. - The 2nd annual Coastal Bend Music Industry Symposium was hosted at House of Rock and the Bay Jewel with a record attendance of over 150 attendees and 18 speakers in the lineup including State Representative Todd Hunter and American rock musician & songwriter, Tony Scalzo. The symposium brought together local musicians, talent, producers, and creatives to share industry trends and information on how to best continue moving the Corpus Christi music scene forward.
The Corpus Christi Film Commission has officially launched the new online film permit request form. Prior to filming that requires exclusive use of Public Property, a Film Permit must be obtained. If the filming does not require the exclusive use of Public Property, an Acknowledgement of Filming Activity will be given to the filmmaker in lieu of the Film Permit to confirm they are filming legally. This landing page has been created with accessibility in mind to streamline process approvals and enhance the film-producing experience in the Gulf Coast Capital. Film and Music Commission initiated discussions about the upcoming Music Walk, with a vision to elevate the event's scale and impact in the upcoming fall. This expansion would not only amplify the cultural vibrancy of our community but would also present a unique opportunity to promote local venues and artists injecting vitality into the downtown economy with a larger approach to regional promotions for the 2024 MusicWalk.
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Next Steps:
Volunteer for the upcoming SkillsUSA Texas conference by signing up for a shift here. Save the date for Workforce and Summer Summit on April 17th. Secure Your Sponsorship for the Coastal Bend Sports Hall of Fame here. Email info@visitcorpuschristi.com to get your printed collateral including visitor guides, QR codes, and more ahead of spring break.
Upcoming Featured Events:
But wait, there’s more…
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