To reserve your seat, contact the CCCVB at 361-881-1888 or email [email protected] by Friday, May 9.

Event Details: In conjunction with National Tourism Week, the Corpus Christi Convention & Visitors Bureau (CCCVB) will host a luncheon to recognize the impact tourism has on the Coastal Bend’s economy on Wednesday, May 14th at 12 noon. The luncheon will be held at American Bank Center’s Bayview Ballroom and will cost $20 per person.

Corpus Christi is one of the top 10 leisure destinations in the state. In a survey conducted by the Tourism Division of the State Governor’s Office, Padre Island National Seashore placed eighth and the Texas State Aquarium came in eleventh as the most popular attractions for non-Texan visitors.

Jim Lee, Ph.D. reported in his 2007 economic study on Corpus Christi that a total of seven million visitors spent a total of 16 million days in the area in 2006, injecting $964.4 million into the Corpus Christi economy with visitor spending increasing by 15% since 2004. The total annual economic impact of tourism on Corpus Christi is $1.1 billion, generating one-tenth of the area economy.

Evan Smith, Editor and Executive Vice President of Texas Monthly magazine will be the featured speaker at the luncheon. Since Smith took over as editor in 2000, Texas Monthly has been nominated for fourteen national magazine awards and in 2003 was awarded the National Magazine Award for General Excellence for the third time in history. Recently he was inducted into the Medill School at Northwestern University of Journalism Hall of Achievement, where he received his master’s degree in journalism. Smith has written for various national magazines including GQ and The Oprah Magazine. He is currently the president of the board for the Austin Film Society and is also the founding co-chair of the Texas Film Hall of Fame.

An awards ceremony will follow honoring five individuals that have gone above and beyond in supporting local tourism and convention efforts. A local leader will also be presented with the inaugural Lifetime Recognition Award fore their contributions to the tourism and hospitality industry in Corpus Christi. Additionally, the CCCVB will provide an overview presentation of the year’s efforts made by board members, staff and industry partners to sustain and grow the economic impact of tourism in the Corpus Christi Area.