Visit Fort Worth Announces New Name and More
March 1, 2018
Sundance Square Plaza grand opening.
The Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau (FWCVB), announced new economic impact numbers for tourism, released their 10-year Destination Master Plan, debuted the “Fort Worth Stories” marketing video series and officially announced its new name, Visit Fort Worth, at its fifth annual meeting and breakfast at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel. Approximately 800 people attended the sold-out event honoring Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
Name Change
Visitors are coming to Fort Worth for more reasons than ever before – for conventions and meetings, for sports, music, film, family fun, amazing art and architecture, for weekends and of course for the city’s unique brand of western heritage. To reflect this growth, the FWCVB officially changed its name to Visit Fort Worth.
Economic Impact
New research released shows record growth in visitation, spending and jobs directly related to the Fort Worth tourism and hospitality industry.
- 9.1 million visitors.
- $2.4 billion in economic impact.
- 23,000+ jobs supported by tourism.
- $116 million in local tax revenue.
- $598 tax savings per household saved per year in taxes generated by tourism.
Destination Master Plan
The new 10-year plan is a blueprint for ensuring Fort Worth is a must-visit city. The goal of the plan is to increase economic impact for tourism, create more jobs and raise the city’s profile to make Fort Worth event more competitive. The plan calls for action in five key areas:
- Enhance visitor experiences.
- Strengthen messaging about Fort Worth.
- Grow visitor facility needs, a headquarter hotel and the convention center.
- Support transportation to increase connectivity.
- Collaboration with the city, chambers and other strategic partners.
The Fort Worth Story
A video series commissioned by Visit Fort Worth called “Fort Worth Stories” reflecting the meeting’s theme, paid homage to the rich history of the city and its future. Attendees were encouraged to take selfies in scenes representing districts across the city as they entered. The full series of “Fort Worth Stories” can be viewed at www.FortWorthStory.com.
Meetings and Conventions
New business continues to grow at a healthy pace.
- The Visit Fort Worth sales team booked 10 citywide conventions slated for 2018.
- Fort Worth welcomed the International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARRS) convention in 2017, with more than 2,000 attendees from 49 countries in attendance, delivering a $5 million economic impact to Fort Worth.
- Visit Fort Worth Sports helped land 7 NCAA tournaments and championships to the new Dickies Arena.
Marketing, Music and Film
Visit Fort Worth reported recognition in top media publications such as a “top destination to watch” by Condé Nast Traveler and a record quarter-million reactions across social media.
The Fort Worth Film Commission, an office of Visit Fort Worth, reported a 2-year economic impact of $12 million and announced working with high-profile productions such as David Lowery’s feature film Old Man and the Gun starring Robert Redford.
Music continued to be a key initiative in 2017 with initiatives such as Texas Music Takeover in the U.K. Fort Worth received designation as the first music-friendly city in Texas by the Texas Music Office’s music-friendly community program.