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Local tourism described at Lions Club
"Rural areas" are the third highest on the list of most often visited locations in Texas, according to Kenda Furman, director of tourism for the City of Fort Stockton. Furman spoke to the Noon Lions Club Wednesday.
Texas is the second largest destination in the United States, with Dallas/Fort Worth as the most visited destination and Houston as second most visited in the state.
Furman reported that the top five attractions for tourists are dining, shopping, sight seeing, entertainment and historic sites.
Historic Fort Stockton and the Annie Riggs Museum offer a history lesson to those interested. Fort Stockton serves as a gateway to the Big Bend National Park, the Big Bend State Park, and the McDonald Observatory in Fort Davis, which offer both scenery and history.
"There has been a noticeable increase in hotel revenues, and a lot of that is due to oil field workers, and the need for housing," Furman said.
The special events hosted in Fort Stockton such as the road races and the Water Carnival fill up the hotels and motels.
Furman also advised the Lions that the Convention and Visitors Bureau has authorized her to attend more travel shows to attract more visitors to the area to fill the new hotels coming to the area.
The Convention and Visitors Bureau is funded by the room tax charged every time someone stays in a motel room. A portion of that tax is paid to the CVB, and there are very strict guidelines as to how the money can be spent.
The guidelines issued by the state of Texas say, "Every expenditure must directly enhance and promote tourism and the convention and hotel industry."
There are six statutorily provided categories for the expenditure of the funds.
The first is the funding, establishment, improvement or maintenance of a convention center or visitor information center. The second is paying the administrative costs for facilitating convention registration.
A third is paying for advertising, solicitations and promotions that attract tourists and convention delegates to the city or its vicinity. Expenditures that promote the arts are fourth.
Fifth is funding historical restoration or preservation programs. The sixth and final approved expenditure is funding costs in certain counties to hold sporting events that substantially increase hotel activity.
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