Galveston Island Park Board of Trustees on LinkedIn: Tourism is good for Galveston. ✈️ 🎡 As summer seekers venture to our… (2024)

Are you or your loved one a nature science enthusiast? Bring them out to East Beach on Saturday for a special Women in Coastal Science chat with Sasha Francis, Gulf Restoration Education and Outreach Manager for the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation! 🌊 Saturday, May 25 | 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM @ East Beach 🌊With 17 years in environmental education and a focus on restoring deep-sea coral communities affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Sasha’s work is vital to protecting our marine habitats. Learn how she connects the community to the hidden wonders of the Gulf through exciting partnerships and outreach efforts. #environmentaleducation #womenincoastalscience #memorialdayweekend #galvestonevents #lovegalveston

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What a week! We are thrilled to share the incredible success of the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) Annual Meeting here in Galveston. This milestone event wouldn't have been possible without the hard work of the entire Visit Galveston team and our amazing local partners.🙌 Extra special thanks to PR Manager Mary Beth Bassett for persuading NATJA to host their meeting in our wonderful city. 😉🎉 To the Sales Team for sealing the deal and bringing this event to life.💫 To the Visitor Services Team for crafting an unforgettable experience for dozens of travel writers.👏 To all Visit Galveston employees who put in extra hours this week to ensure everything ran smoothly.🤝 To our participating local partners for their warm hospitality, especially Moody Gardens® and The San Luis Hotel and Resort.The impact of this event will be felt for years to come as hundreds of stories highlight Galveston as a top travel destination. We couldn't be prouder of our community and the positive exposure this brings. Thank you, everyone! 🌴📸✈️ #LoveGalveston #NATJA2024 #NATJAinGalveston

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What a way to end the day. The San Luis Hotel and Resort knows how to throw a party! 🍹🥂 Last night, the Visit Galveston team celebrated a close to the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) annual meeting island style, taking attendees back to the Balinese Room. The night was complete with tropical drinks, a performance by Frank Sinatra, and all the vintage charm!We are grateful to the NATJA members and dozens of travel writers who visited us this week and look forward to reading the stories of their Galveston adventures. We hope to see you all again soon! Surely you didn’t see EVERYTHING in one visit. 😉#LoveGalveston#NATJAinGalveston

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Park Board CEO Kimberly Danesi shares exclusive insights on attracting overnight visitors and maximizing HOT funds in her recent article for The Galveston County Daily News. 🌴 Learn how partnerships with local hotels and associations are shaping the future of our island destination and read more below.**A key mission of the Park Board and Visit Galveston is to attract overnight visitors. Doing so brings Hotel Occupancy Tax funds to the organizations. These funds are restricted and are dedicated to tourism marketing and promotion.As we all know, tourism is an important part of Galveston’s economic engine. Tourism supports one out of three jobs on the island. Thanks to visitors who come to the island each year, Galveston can support world-class attractions, special events and restaurants that smaller towns without this influx, simply cannot. And we residents can enjoy them year-round.The Park Board and Visit Galveston work in many ways to maximize HOT collections. A key is developing and nurturing relationships with island hotels, condominiums and vacation rentals in order to spread the word about their offerings. Another is to provide their guests with a variety of attractions and activities to experience while they’re here so they’ll be more likely to stay overnight.An important part of that equation is the Park Board’s relationship with the (GHLA). Its 76 members — from small hotels to large resorts, vacation rentals and management companies — help to advise and advocate for tourism on the island.Marty Miles is the current chair of the GHLA. He said he values working with the Park Board and Visit Galveston to help market the destination and put Galveston in a favorable light. He said he appreciates the diligence and commitment from the Park Board to keeping the beaches clean and safe for the public.Miles said he also appreciates that the Park Board and Visit Galveston can share developments in the lodging and vacation rental industry with City Council. This, he says, is for the betterment of the community.He also cites the work the GHLA undertakes with the Texas Hotel and Lodging Association (THLA). THLA is the largest hotel association in the nation and its mission is to advocate for legislation, regulations, resources and a business climate that will promote a strong, vibrant, and growing lodging and tourism industry within Texas.Among its many accomplishments, the THLA recently supported and received increased funding for the state’s tourism agency, Travel Texas. These increased resources mean the agency can further its efforts to promote Texas as a travel destination in an increasingly competitive marketplace.**To read the full article and support the Daily News, read on at https://lnkd.in/e29a3z8D

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We want travel writers to visit Galveston! 🏝️✍️ Today, the Visit Galveston team is hard at work alongside several other destinations pitching all Galveston has to offer to travel journalists. While dozens of writers are staying with us in Galveston this week for the annual meeting of the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA), our team shared even more story ideas this morning at marketplace in hopes that they will return and write about us even more! 🤩#LoveGalveston #NATJAinGalveston#NATJA2024

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Cruising around, island style. 😎 The Visit Galveston team toured dozens of travel writers on a mega-familiarity tour of Galveston yesterday and today. This week, Galveston is hosting the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) for their annual meeting. Thanks to the generosity of our partners, the writers are touring all the best the island has to offer, from fun adventures and cultural experiences to shopping and fine dining. 🛍️🍽️ Tour these attractions yourself and plan it all at visitgalveston.com. #LoveGalveston#NATJAinGalveston#NATJA2024

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Thank you, Leadership Galveston for helping our beaches be even more clean and pristine. 🌴🌞 Last week, members of the Chamber of Commerce joined our team at East Beach for a morning stroll to hunt for those little pieces of debris. If you or your team would like to organize your very own beach cleanup, reach out to us at information@galvestonparkboard.org

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Our Visit Galveston team is already having so much fun sharing Galveston with the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA)! 🐧🐠 For their opening reception, conference attendees, including dozens of travel writers, experienced nature up-close in the aquarium pyramid at Moody Gardens®, dining among the penguins. What an unforgettable evening! If you’re feeling envious, head to visitgalveston.com to plan your next Galveston adventure or event. 🌴#LoveGalveston#NATJA #NATJAinGalveston

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It’s finally here! Today, we welcomed dozens of travel journalists from across the nation to our humble island. 🌞 🏝️ This week, members of the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) (NATJA) traveled from near and far to hold their annual meeting, stay at Moody Gardens®, and explore all our island has to offer. They will go on excursions, dine at restaurants, and hopefully write hundreds of stories inspired by their adventures here. Our team at Visit Galveston is working hard this week to ensure that they all have a fabulous time and maybe even extend their stay. 😉

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