In Fort Worth, a city known as the "City of Cowboys and Culture," history and tourism are forever linked.
Home to the Stockyards National Historic District, downtown Sundance Square and a renowned Cultural District complete with five museums, Fort Worth is steeped in Western heritage and dedicated to the arts and urban renewal. The city is a premier business and leisure destination.
The progression of Fort Worth into an important destination began with rowdy cowboys on the Chisholm Trail cattle drives, followed by the arrival of the railroad in 1876 and the first Stock Show two decades later.
By the early 1900s, large hotels built in downtown Fort Worth created opportunities for the city to begin hosting important meetings. The Centennial celebration in 1936 led to the construction of the Will Rogers Memorial Center, which created the foundation for the development of today's Cultural District. County voters in 1964 approved bonds to build the Tarrant County Convention Center in Fort Worth as well as a major baseball complex in Arlington.
Fort Worth community leaders over many years had been building the city as a place for culture, tourism, and meetings. The Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce had been promoting the City for tourism and meetings dating back to the early 1920s.
In 1965 the Chamber founded the Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau (FWCVB) to promote the city to a variety of audiences nationally and internationally. Today the organization is the official destination marketing organization of the 17th largest city in the United States.
On Feb. 4, the FWCVB held its second annual meeting and breakfast at Fort Worth's Ashton Depot.
"We wanted to take an opportunity to really highlight what's happened since the Fort Worth Convention & Visitor's Bureau was established 50 years ago, to recognize all the progress since then, and talk about the future," says Bob Jameson, the Bureau's president and CEO.
"For a long time, we thought about tourism in Fort Worth by the number of districts we have-the Stockyards, Sundance Square, and the Cultural District-but what ties us together is that hospitality and friendliness that really came from the "Cowboy Way," Jameson continues. "One of the legacies of the cowboys and the ranchers who settled this land is when they struck it big, they reinvested and gave us institutions like our great museums, Sundance Square, and the Stockyards."
The sold-out event included remarks from keynote speaker Roger Dow, President and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, the Washington D.C. based non-profit organization with the mission to increase travel to and within the United States.
The FWCVB also honored the late Holt Hickman, whose visionary investment with partners in the Fort Worth Stockyards helped develop the district into one of the nation's most popular attractions. The Fort Worth Stockyards received the designation as a National Historic District in 1976.
"People like Holt left so much for us, and we're not finished yet," Jameson says.
The number of visitors coming to Fort Worth for leisure and business has grown in recent years to about 6.5 million annually, an increase of 20 percent over the last five years. Business and leisure tourism provides an annual economic impact of $1.6 billion, and 14,000 jobs are supported by the hospitality industry.
In addition, revenue from visitor activity contributes funds toward vital city projects and needs. This revenue saves each Fort Worth household approximately $840 each year.
"The benefit to the taxpayers is that it brings in tourism and convention dollars," says Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price. "All of those raise the exposure for Fort Worth and puts it on the horizon with businesses who may want to come and locate here. And just as important is that it brings lots of dollars in that we don't have to spend taxpayer money for infrastructure and such," she continues. "About 48 percent of our budget is sales tax, and a huge percent of that sales tax comes in through our CVB, so not only do we get that great exposure-and people love that-but we get the extra dollars coming in that really shores up our bottom line and helps our citizens."
Fiscal year 2014 produced strong results in business and leisure travel to Fort Worth, Jameson says. "The FWCVB sales team booked more than 450 meetings and hosted a record 10 citywide conventions, those with at least 1,100 hotel rooms on peak nights."
"Unprecedented numbers of people are engaged with FWCVB through social media, e-mails and website – markers of high interest in the city. We have even more work to do," Jameson continues.
Fort Worth has been named one of the fastest growing in the nation, home to the No. 1 downtown and one of the best cities for jobs, young professionals, starting a career and buying a home.
"The convention and visitor business for every city is now a very competitive industry," says Johnny Campbell, president and CEO of Sundance Square in Downtown Fort Worth. "Lots of cities are vying for most any convention that comes through to look at our city. Bob Jameson is really good about putting together the right people, the right pitches, and the right programs to go after and secure business that is so important to us. A convention and visitor shopper is probably the best shopper there is," Campbell continues. "Having those folks in town and spending their money here feeds everything downtown and the whole city."
In addition to new residents moving here, Fort Worth has recorded historic numbers of visitors, says Mayor Price.
"They come to experience our Western heritage, vibrant arts scene and model of urban renewal. Let's face it: Fort Worth is a hot city."
Looking to the Future
Developers have planned more than $1 billion in projects that will enhance offerings to visitors during the decade ahead – from the new Multi-Purpose Arena to the premier Clearfork development along the Chisholm Trail Parkway, from enhancements to the Stockyards and Cultural District to continued growth downtown.
The FWCVB will continue to advocate for the development of experiences and facilities that draw visitors" interest and add to the rich fabric of Fort Worth.
Pressing issues include:
- Renovation and expansion of the Fort Worth Convention Center, the next phase of a 20-year planning process, will accommodate more meetings and visitors.
- Transportation enhancements are underway to provide rail service between Fort Worth and D/FW International Airport.
- Investment in international marketing with regional partners is needed to ensure Fort Worth receives its share of visitors and economic development opportunities.
"Fort Worth in many ways embodies the essence of Texas with so much appeal to visitors from near and far: a frontier town that has grown into a modern city, enriched by the investment of leading citizens and a love for our distinct, local culture," Jameson says.
"As I enter my third year leading this organization, I am convinced more than ever that we have a historic opportunity to support Fort Worth and its great institutions by sharing the story with the world."
A video recap and the 2014 FWCVB annual report are available at FortWorth.com/annual for public viewing.
