Hurricane Harvey impacts still being felt

By KEVIN RICH
Special to the PRESS

The South Padre Island Convention and Visitors Advisory (CVA) Board considered an event funding request, heard post event reports, and discussed economic data related to Island tourism during a meeting held Wednesday, Oct. 25.

Mike Flores and Marissa Amaya of the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) presented a funding application to host an Elite Redfish Series tournament. Flores explained the championship event, which was unable to be held in Port Arthur due to Hurricane Harvey, is part of a multi-state series that takes place in Texas, Florida and Louisiana. “The championship is the last month of the year. It’s a $65,000 grand championship prize. It’s going to happen. It has to happen, and we’ve solicited them,” reported Flores.

One of the attractive features for the City related to this event is the potential for 43 million viewers generated by the professional fishing tournament, which includes five days of practice and two days of competition. “They bring all their own satellite (equipment), all their own viewing, all of their own camera folks, and they put cameramen inside each of the boats for each of the fishermen professionals, all day Friday, all day Saturday,” Flores said.

“We’re asking for $45,000 total, which includes the championship and another tournament next year,” Flores explained.

“I think it’s great that we’re getting national coverage, as well, and it’s been a long time since this Island has had a lot of national coverage,” commented CVA board member Will Greenwood in support of the request. The CVA agreed and unanimously approved funding for the event.

Next on the agenda, CVB Director Keith Arnold presented his monthly CVB Staff Productivity Report. “Hotel Occupancy Tax for the month of August, it was down 9.3 percent,” Arnold said, citing Hurricane Harvey as a cause for the decline.

“Harvey knocked us out of five to seven nights. I mean there’s just no question,” Arnold said.

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