Empowering Our Community
The Corpus Christi City Council recently approved the creation of the Corpus Christi Tourism Public Improvement District (TPID). Area hoteliers alongside the Texas Hotel Lodging Association worked with Visit Corpus Christi to develop the program designed to expand promotion efforts for a municipality. This is the sixth TPID passed in the state of Texas with the first one in Dallas in 2014. The Corpus Christi Tourism Public Improvement District is designed to significantly increase the funding available to market and provide incentives to enhance Corpus Christi's performance as a convention and tourism destination. The TPID is a 2% assessment on taxable room rates paid by overnight hotel visitors when staying in hotels within the city limits of Corpus Christi with 40 hotel rooms or more. Local residents will only pay this assessment if they stay overnight in a hotel. The district will be led by the Corpus Christi TPID Board of Directors comprised solely of local hotel owners.
The TPID can only be used on additional marketing and promotion efforts in Corpus Christi and will be managed by Visit Corpus Christi, the official Destination Management Organization for the region. The TPID will focus on providing additional promotion to key strategic initiatives including the Corpus Christi sports, film and music commissions, as well as increased national and international marketing. Currently, the Corpus Christi Hospitality Industry is the second largest economic driver for Corpus Christi generating 1.5 billion dollars. This number is expected to increase once the additional funds become available to continue marketing the city as a premier tourist destination.
"The TPID will allow Visit Corpus Christi to promote programs, initiatives and regions that we have not been able to reach before, which means expanding the visibility of the Gulf Coast Capital to new audiences.”
—Brett Oetting, President & CEO of Visit Corpus Christi
About Visit Corpus Christi
Visit Corpus Christi is a 501c6 Destination Management Organization contracted by the city of Corpus Christi with a mission to create a better community by sharing Corpus Christi with the world. The organization is primarily funded through Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) paid by visitors while staying overnight in hotels and short-term rentals. Visit Corpus Christi also has a non-profit foundation that supports the hospitality and tourism industry via education programs, raising and providing funding to individuals and businesses during times of need through the Visit CC Cares program.
Visit Corpus Christi also has a non-profit foundation that supports the hospitality and tourism industry via education programs, raising and providing funding to individuals and businesses during times of need through the Visit CC Cares program. Visit Corpus Christi is governed by a Board of Directors and supported by more than 1,000 partners who help make Corpus Christi an appealing destination by offering their services, attractions, and facilities to visitors, meeting planners, convention delegates, and residents.
In 2021, Visit Corpus Christi earned DMAP accreditation from Destinations International (DI) and is one of less than 200 destination marketing organizations to have met rigorous standards. To do so, Visit Corpus Christi provided evidence of compliance with 54 mandatory standards and 33 voluntary standards, including governance, finance, management, human resources, technology, visitor services, group services, sales, communications, membership, brand management, destination development, research/market intelligence, innovation, and stakeholder relationships.
Visit Corpus Christi employs approximately 20 people working in convention sales, tourism sales, convention services, partnership and development, marketing, communications, events, and administration. In 2015, Visit Corpus Christi created the Corpus Christi Film Commission to drive economic impact associated with film and commercial production. The Corpus Christi Sports Commission was created in 2021 to attract professional, collegiate, amateur, and youth sports events to Corpus Christi.
Current Community Initiatives Include:
