Fort Worth's tourism jobs grew to 14,000 in 2014, up 1,000
February 4,2015
Reposted from Fort Worth Business Press
Jobs tied to Fort Worth’s convention and tourism industry grew to 14,000 from 13,000 last year, and 6.5 million people visited the city, up 20 percent over five years, the Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau said Wednesday.
Hotels continue to scour the city, looking for sites, Bob Jameson, the CVB’s CEO, told attendees at the bureau’s annual meeting.
“There is more tire-kicking than there’s ever been before,” Jameson said.
Based on demand, the CVB and other central business district interests maintain downtown Fort Worth needs at least 1,000 more hotel rooms, plus a revamp of the north end of the Fort Worth Convention Center that the city created a path for last year.
Jameson, former general manager of the Renaissance Worthington hotel downtown, jokingly wondered whether he thought the same about the need for new hotel rooms when he was at the Worthington.
“Well, you’re never too old to learn,” he said.
Growth of international visitors to the region was a meeting theme, with D/FW Airport CEO Sean Donahue and U.S. Travel Association CEO Roger Dow highlighting it.
With D/FW having non stops to Shanghai and Hong Kong and set to launch non stops to Beijing in May, Dow noted Chinese visitors to the United States grew to two million last year form 500,000 in 2009. They’re projected to grow to 17,000 in 2017, “monster growth,” Dow said.
“The international is just going to go up and up and up, and Fort Worth is going to get a huge share of it,” he said.
Dow said a convention center makeover is key for Fort Worth.
“It’ll be a driver of phenomenal business,” he said, comparing Fort Worth to a similar situation Nashville, Tenn., was in with its convention center center.
Dow lauded Fort Worth for maintaining authenticity and said that is important to visitors.
“You have a story to tell, it’s special and it’s unique,” he said.
Twenty three percent of visitors who come to Texas visit the Metroplex, Dow said. “Dallas plus Fort Worth equals three or four or five,” he said.
Some of Fort Worth’s meeting and hotel metrics:
Top meeting prospects by industry: Education, 16 percent; general business, 15; sports, 14; transportation, 12; government, 9; agriculture, 9; science and technology, 9; religious, 8; health and medical, 7; and culture, 1.5.
Downtown hotel occupancy: 65.6 percent, 2014; 61.9 percent, 2012.
Downtown hotel average daily rate: $96.69, 2014; $91.84, 2012.
Revenue per available room: $63.41, 2014; $56.83, 2012.
Fort Worth holel occupancy: 68.6 percent, 2014; 67.4 percent, 2012.
Fort Worth hotel average daily rate: $161.29, 2014; $146.24, 2012.
Fort Worth hotel revenue per available room: $110.68, 2014; $98.58, 2012.
Top countries of origin for group tours to Fort Worth: United States, United Kingdom, Mexico, France, China.
Scott Nishimura
snishimura@bizpress.net