The Texas Travel Industry Association, an Austin-based nonprofit organization, is holding its 30th annual summit at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in downtown San Antonio this week. Dozens of TTIA members from across the Lone Star State are expected to attend. 

These are not the state of Texas travel marketers who gave us the slogan, “TEXAS It’s Like a Whole Other Country,” or “Remember the Alamo.” TTIA members are employed by or own a travel-related business in Texas.

Businesses run the gamut from accommodations, attractions, campgrounds, airlines, convention and visitor’s bureaus, chambers of commerce to public relations firms and advertising agencies. In short, any entity or individual working in hospitality and travel industry in Texas may join the TTIA.  

Since I love to travel, and travel is one of the topics I’ve written about for many years, I wanted to know more about this group. Unfortunately, as a member of the media, I wasn’t granted a press pass to cover the four-day event.

“We don’t offer media passes to our educational conferences as we are focused on educating our members on issues they need to know to strengthen their businesses and bring in more travelers to their destinations,”  said Janice Langlinais, TTIA director of communications, reiterating in an email to me a decision by the vice president of membership/development.

Contrary to what many people think, access is not always granted to the media. But at a cost of $700 dollars for non-members to attend the summit, I chose to use information disseminated by the  San Antonio Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. This member group’s “early bird” registration was $390. 

Former newspaper reporter habits also drove me to the information highway, which revealed all I needed to know about the event. That’s where I learned how important the summit is for working tourism professionals. In fact, the summit is the only statewide event offering networking opportunities for those involved in the lucrative Texas travel industry. Moreover, tourism is tied directly to the state.

This may be why the summit, set for Sept. 20-23, features a whole host of prominent national speakers. Most speakers are authors, chief executive officers, and experts in the field of tourism as a business - a billion dollar a year industry in Texas.

Mike Walsh, CEO of Tomorrow, a global consultancy and best-selling author of books such as “FUTURETAINMENT” and “Dictionary of Dangerous Ideas,” kicks off the summit with a presentation titled “Designing Your Business for the 21st Century.”    

Aside from an awards ceremony in which SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment will receive TTIA’s 2015 Heritage Award, topics to be discussed at the conference include information on the new, savvier future traveler, future travel trends, marketing and promotions, best practices, and new products and services.  

All the speakers sound exciting but Peter Yesawich and MMGY Global’s latest research caught my eye. His topic, “The New American Traveler: Motivations, Myths, and Market Makers,” has specific implications for the Texas travel industry. Meanwhile, Greg Lindsay, futurist, urbanist and Jeopardy champion will discuss “How Cities of the Future Will Impact the Travel Industry.” 

Wouldn’t you love to know the next travel trends? Wouldn’t you love to know the challenges cities will face marketing to urban tourists? I know the media plays a major role in helping to promote tourism statewide. Why do we visit a certain city or country? Have you ever wondered if your own town would attract tourists? Inquiring minds-of which I am one-want to know. 

Many years ago, I relocated to Texas from Michigan. The Kennedy Assassination site was the first place I visited. Marketing and promotion of the site was nonstop. Of course, the State Fair of Texas, with its iconic “Big Texas,” already attracted tourism annually. In the 1980s, the television series DALLAS brought in more tourists and shot Southfork Ranch higher into international prominence. 

Yet decades later, I’ve still not seen all there is to see in Texas. That’s one reason I began writing travel stories. Newsletters from chambers of commerce or convention and visitors bureaus from town across Texas are a great source. In addition, specialty magazines and Texas websites are an even greater source. 

Newsletters often detail annual festivals. City websites can reveal historic and unique tourist attractions. Travel through Texas and travel information inspires travel stories. But I had never tried exploring a nonprofit travel organization until I learned TTIA was having its 30th summit in San Antonio.   

As it turns out, the organization plays an important role in advancing the careers of those in the travel industry. One benefit is that members may attend TTIA College of Tourism. Each summer, tourism professionals receive advanced training. Graduation takes three years and culminates with the Certified Tourism Executive (CTE) designation. 

In her letter, Langlinais referred me to the Texas Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Tourism. She said it is the marketing and development arm of travel and tourism in Texas. Thanks to search engines it’s possible to learn about the inner workings of both Texas travel organizations.

But navigating the Texas Governor’s EDT website was a challenge. The Economic Development and Tourism Division of the Governor’s Office markets Texas as one of the world’s premier business locations and travel destinations. “Texas It’s Like a Whole Other Country” was the EDT’s brainchild. 

The EDT pursues business expansion and relocation prospects aimed at job creation and export commerce. It also partners with a city’s CVB, chambers and travel-related organizations to promote economic opportunities through domestic and international tourism. 

Using the model of a truly integrated marketing campaign, which involves public relations, advertising and travel research, the EDT has garnered awards for its highly effective tourism marketing campaigns.

But promotional and marketing efforts aside, Texas really does have a lot to offer in the way of tourism. It has beaches, festivals, historic landmarks and Texas can boast having had the first vineyard in North America. That’s right. Franciscan friars from Spain planted the first vineyards here in 1662! 

The Texas wine industry has now flourished, making it second only to California’s Napa Valley as the most visited in the United States. Trip Advisor’s Family Vacation Critic named San Antonio’s Six Flags Fiesta one of the top 10 best amusement parks of 2015. And the list of accolades goes on and on!

Now that I’ve learned about both the TTIA and Governor’s Office of EDT, I’ll take their efforts into account each time I write a travel story. The specialized work of these travel industry “insiders” from both groups has made Texas the envy of other states.

For more information on the Texas Travel Industry Association go to www.ttia.org

Detailed tourism information is at: http://www.travel.texas.gov or www.traveltex.com   

Rosie Carbo is the Lifestyles Editor for Wandering Educators, and is a former newspaper reporter whose work has appeared in newspapers and magazines nationwide. Some of those publications include People magazine, The Dallas Morning News, The Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News. Some of her features were redistributed by The Associated Press early in her career as an award-winning Texas journalist.

Photos courtesy and copyright Wikimedia Commons: Dealey Plaza:Fredlyfish4; San Antonio's Giant Cowboy Boots: Leonard J. DeFrancisci; Southfork: Németh Dezső; Houston Galleria: Hequals2henry; Galveston: Allen Sheffield