By DINA ARÉVALO
Port Isabel-South Padre Press
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com
South Padre Island Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) Director Keith Arnold has announced his retirement, effective Wednesday, Oct. 31.
“I’m retiring on Halloween day,” Arnold said during an interview at a public event this week. He added that he came to the decision approximately three months ago.
“The way I feel about things now, we have righted a nearly capsizing ship and set it off in a real good direction and I think it’s time for someone else to take it over and move it to the next step,” Arnold said.
Arnold has helmed the CVB, which is responsible for spearheading the Island’s tourism initiatives, for just over three years. The City announced his hiring in July 2015 after a three-month search, which saw 84 applicants vie for the position, City officials said at the time.
Prior to Arnold’s hiring, the CVB was helmed by Rachel Flores, who resigned after only 10 months on the job.
Arnold came to the Island with over three decades of experience in the tourism and hospitality industry. January 2019 will mark his 40th anniversary in the industry, he said. He served the Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau in two separate stints from the 1990s to 2014, Arnold said. And just before his hiring here, he served as the CEO of the Bee County Chamber of Commerce in Beeville.
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