By KEVIN RICH
Special to the PRESS
Marketing strategies to attract visitors to South Padre Island and let them know the Island is still open for business dominated the discussion during the Wednesday, Sept. 20 South Padre Island City Council meeting.
Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) Director Keith Arnold led the discussion regarding a proposed budget amendment to allot $300,000 from excess reserves be allocated for additional off-season marketing opportunities, with emphasis on Winter Texans and potential visitors with no school-aged children.
Arnold began his presentation by reporting the size of the reserve from which the funds would be drawn sits at $3 million. He explained that the request came about as a result of a series of meetings with the Convention and Visitors Advisory (CVA) Board, where discussions centered around the subject of the public misconceptions over the Island’s proximity to areas impacted by Hurricane Harvey. The plans addressed by the CVA focused on marketing efforts to advertise to potential visitors that the Island remains open for business.
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2 comments
“Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) Director Keith Arnold led the discussion regarding a proposed budget amendment to allot $300,000 from excess reserves be allocated for additional off-season marketing opportunities, with emphasis on Winter Texans and potential visitors with no school-aged children.”
Yes, this is where marketing needs to focus. Before Hurricane Harvey, I planned to visit the Texas seashore after the heavy summer crowds ended and the kids returned to school. Today, I have no way of knowing which parts of the Texas seashore are open for business and which hotels and rentals are ready for business. I know absolutely nothing because no one is saying anything. I found this article which is all that I have found that says anything positive about the Texas coast. It doesn’t seem like the coast wants visitors so I made a Red Cross and a few other donations towards the cleanup efforts and stayed away. It looks like California is going to get all the visitors this Fall because other hurricanes are moving up the eastern coastline. There is a cable TV show called TWC – the weather channel and also “Mighty Ships” that people who travel watch. There is also an RV show that people watch. A massive social media campaign would help too. Billboards in Austin in both directions on I-35 get a lot of attention. Right now, I would not travel south unless I knew business were open and cities wanted visitors.
Author
Thank you for your comment. Do you mind me asking what part of the country you’re from?