Report 2025 25 Annual Annual
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In 2025, Visit Corpus Christi delivered strong results across destination services, convention sales, sports tourism, marketing, public relations, and film and music development. The organization exceeded key performance goals outlined in its agreement with the city while continuing to strengthen community partnerships, visitor satisfaction, and economic impact. Strategic investments in marketing, relationship building, and service excellence supported sustained visitation and positioned Corpus Christi for continued growth as the premier Texas Gulf Coast destination.
Throughout the year, Visit Corpus Christi focused on balancing near-term demand generation with long-term destination development. This approach ensured immediate economic returns while protecting the integrity of the brand and enhancing the overall visitor experience. Performance metrics across all departments demonstrate a strong return on investment for the city and local tourism partners.
Convention and group business exceeded annual room night & economic impact goals
Sports tourism surpassed projected room nights and delivered high planner & attendee satisfaction
Marketing and public relations efforts generated more than 300 million earned media impressions
Destination services initiatives strengthened workforce readiness & partner collaboration
Film and music activity continued to grow local industry capacity & external visibility
THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF TOURISM
Tourism is a cornerstone of Corpus Christi’s economy and a key driver of local impact. Beyond the beaches and bayfront views, tourism drives visitor spending, supports local jobs and industries, and creates tax revenues that fund essential city services. Tourism also generates Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) and sales tax revenues that help fund city services and infrastructure, keeping our community running and thriving. Through strategic investment and targeted marketing efforts, travel supports a stronger, more vibrant and connected community.
Lodging Performance Overview
Corpus Christi’s lodging market remained stable throughout 2025, with hotel performance reflecting consistent occupancy and modest growth in average daily rate (ADR). While seasonal shifts and broader travel trends impacted demand at various points throughout the year, leisure travel and key events continued to support overall performance and revenue.
Short-term rental (STR) performance saw notable growth, with increases across occupancy, ADR, and revenue. This continued momentum reflects evolving traveler preferences, particularly during peak seasons and high-demand periods, and contributed to increased visitor spending across the destination.
Combined hotel and STR performance supported steady lodging tax contributions, reinforcing tourism’s role as a key driver of the local economy. Ongoing marketing efforts and targeted strategies helped maintain demand and position Corpus Christi for continued growth across both lodging segments.
Occupancy
Lodging Revenue
hotel performance
short term rental performance
PERIOD: JANUARY 2025 - DECEMBER 2025
Visit Corpus Christi engaged 14,852 people through the visitor information center and mobile services, with 62% (9,267) from outof-town and 38% (5,585) locals.
Barefoot Mardi Gras
Visitor Services executive
Summary
The Experience Department at Visit Corpus Christi plays a critical role in shaping first impressions and enhancing overall visitor satisfaction. In 2025, the team focused on advancing frontline service excellence, strengthening partner engagement, and supporting community-based tourism initiatives — ensuring every interaction, whether at a local business, event, or attraction, contributed to a welcoming and memorable experience.
Destination training programs expanded to reach a broader network of hospitality professionals, managers, and nontraditional visitor-facing businesses, emphasizing consistent customer service, deep local knowledge, and aligned leadership in delivering a cohesive destination experience.
The Experience Team also provided onsite support at major community, cultural, and sporting events, directly engaging with visitors to gather feedback, offer personalized recommendations, and support smooth event operations. Ongoing partner recognition efforts strengthened relationships with more than 50 active tourism partners, fostering collaboration and generating insights to guide future destination growth.
top metrics at a glance 14,852
ExpeRiences that DRive Impact
Visit Corpus Christi remained focused on enhancing the visitor experience through partner collaboration and a commitment to quality across attractions, accommodations, and amenities — with visitor feedback, data insights, and key performance indicator s guiding improvements and reflecting the destination’s continued economic impact.
GUIDING VISITORS TO THE COAST
Visit Corpus Christi continued to enhance visitor services through the development and distribution of updated field guides and comprehensive visitor guides, giving travelers accessible, curated information on key experiences — from beaches and outdoor recreation to dining, attractions, and nightlife. By delivering interest-based recommendations and essential planning tools, these resources encouraged longer stays and deeper exploration, ensuring visitors had what they needed to make informed decisions and supporting both visitor satisfaction and overall economic impact.
The Sales Team turned 70 leads definite this year that were worth approximately $20 million in economic impact and 41,957 room nights at an average daily rate of $141.13.
Convention Sales & Services
executive Summary
The Visit Corpus Christi Sales Team remains focused on positioning Corpus Christi as the premier destination for meetings and conventions, expanding our regional and national presence across the industry. Through strategic partnerships and high-touch service, we dri ve measurable economic impact by increasing hotel room night production for local partners while supporting restaurants, bars, and attractions.
In 2025, we ended the year with 126% of our room night goal and 148% of our economic impact goal, which reflects the team’s ability to generate demand, convert opportunities, and deliver meaningful outcomes for our partners and community. This performance is sup ported by continued growth in our sales pipeline and increased engagement across key regional and national markets. The team also remaine d focused on strengthening relationships with meeting planners and partners, ensuring alignment with the needs of the local hospitality indu stry.
top metrics at a glance
74 total events hosted
19
211 total leads generated total event attendees 58K definite room nights 42K familiarization tours hosted
3 total site visits
$20,001,437 in 2025
laRgest GROUPS HOSTED IN 2025
Over the past year, Visit Corpus Christi delivered a strong and diverse mix of conferences and events, showcasing the destination’s ability to compete across multiple market segments. From association and education to government, trade, and fraternal groups, these events brought thousands of attendees to Corpus
and generated substantial economic impact for our local partners and hospitality industry.
Knights of Columbus
WHERE WE SHOWED UP & SHOWED OUT
The Sales Team participated in 18 industry trade shows, connecting with over 450 key decision-makers to expand awareness and drive future group business opportunities to our destination. From major industry events like IMEX America and Meeting Professionals International (MPI) WEC to targeted engagements such as Connect Marketplace and various TSAE events, including New Ideas, these efforts supported lead generation, deepened industry relationships, and strengthened Corpus Christi’s standing as a sought-after Gulf Coast destination for meetings and conventions.
Spring FAM Group
MPI WEC
The Sports Commission turned 48 leads definite this year that generated approximately $16 million in economic impact and 36,323 room nights.
Corpus Christi Sports Commission
executive Summary
The Corpus Christi Sports Commission delivered a year of strong performance and continued momentum in sports tourism. Through s trategic partnerships and targeted efforts, we successfully attracted a diverse range of sporting events while enhancing the overall participant and spectator experience. These initiatives drove economic impact, strengthened our competitive position, and created valuable opportunities for the community. In 2025, we ended the year with 123% of our room night goal and 118% of our economic impact goal.
These results reflect continued momentum in our sports tourism efforts and reinforce Corpus Christi’s competitiveness in attrac ting high-impact events. This continued growth is supported by a strong pipeline of future events and ongoing engagement with event organizers across key markets. The Commission also remained focused on enhancing the overall event experience, ensuring Corpus Christi continues to deliver for both participants and partners.
top metrics at a glance
48 total events hosted
8
118 total leads generated total event attendees 70K definite room nights 36K familiarization tours hosted
2 total site visits
$16,076,640 in 2025
Corpus Christi
laRgest spoRts gRoups hosted IN 2025
Over the past year, Visit Corpus Christi hosted a strong and diverse mix of sporting events and tournaments, further establishing the destination as a competitive player in sports tourism. From youth competitions to national championships, these events brought thousands of athletes, coaches, and fans to the city while generating significant economic impact. This continued momentum highlights our ability to leverage quality facilities, coastal assets, and strategic partnerships to grow sports tourism in the region.
WHAT WE SCOUTED LAST YEAR
The Corpus Christi Sports Commission participated in major sports industry trade shows, connecting with event organizers to expand awareness and drive future opportunities. From key industry events such as the Sports ETA Symposium, TEAMS Conference, and Connect Marketplace to targeted engagements like the Sports ETA 4S Summit and Sports Express Conference, these efforts contributed to lead generation, strengthened partnerships, and elevated Corpus Christi’s position within the sports tourism industry.
SportsETA
Trevi’s Winter World Series
Trevi’s Fall World Series
Corpus Christi Film & Music Commission
executive Summary
In 2025, the Visit Corpus Christi Film & Music Commission continued to build on its foundation, evolving into a more competitive and production-ready driver of the city’s creative economy. With a strategic focus on industry growth, workforce development, and national visibility, the Commission strengthened its position as a catalyst for film and music opportunities along the Texas Gulf Coast.
As the Commission looks to the future, the progress made in 2025 represents a shift from foundational growth to long-term industry leadership. With stronger infrastructure, expanded partnerships, and increased visibility, Corpus Christi is well-positioned to attract largerscale productions and serve as a premier hub for film and music.
CC 7-Day Film Project
Corpus Christi Film & Music Commission
keY moments foR film aNd music
• Corpus Christi hosted the Texas Sounds & Cities Conference, convening statewide film, music, and DMO leadership for the first time in the city. This milestone positioned Corpus Christi as a leader within Texas’s Music Friendly network and strengthened its influence in shaping the future of the state’s creative economy.
• The Film & Music Commission represented Corpus Christi at SXSW, engaging with filmmakers and industry professionals to promote the city as a premier filming destination and expand relationships within the entertainment industry.
• During the Austin Film Festival, the Film & Music Commission participated in the panel “A New Era of Texas Film Incentives,” while also generating new leads for future familiarization tours and production opportunities.
• The Film & Music Commission hosted multiple familiarization tours for Los Angeles-based producers and filmmakers, providing curated location visits and advancing discussions for potential feature film projects in Corpus Christi.
• Corpus Christi gained national exposure through on-location productions, including HGTV’s Beach House Project and additional commercial shoots, generating direct local spend and reinforcing the city’s appeal as a diverse filming location.
• The Film & Music Commission expanded its production infrastructure through ongoing updates to the Reel-Scout database and development of curated location packages, improving responsiveness and competitiveness for incoming production inquiries.
• The Corpus Christi Film & Music Commission’s “Behind the Credits” speaker series hosted award-winning filmmakers, directors, and writers for public programming that strengthened the city’s profile as an emerging film and media hub.
• Through public workshops, local film initiatives, and partnerships with institutions such as Del Mar College and Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, the Film & Music Commission continued to invest in growing a skilled local crew base and supporting the next generation of creatives.
Coastal Bend Music Industry Symposium
Texas Sounds & Cities
SXSW Conference
Coastal Bend Music Industry Symposium
Austin Film Festival
Austin Film Festival
Texas Sounds & Cities
Corpus Christi Film & Music Commission
For every $1.00 Visit Corpus Christi invested in advertising and digital media, visitors contributed approximately $2.80 in measurable travel spending, including flights and overnight stays.
Marketing & Communications
In 2025, Visit Corpus Christi executed a highly targeted, full-funnel leisure marketing strategy designed to position the desti nation as a yearround coastal experience, while maximizing economic impact during both peak and shoulder seasons. The approach prioritized a nimble and strategic media investment, shifting dollars to periods of highest opportunity to support local hotels and attractions, while maintaining a balanced and intentional mix of in-state drive markets and high-value out-of-state audiences. Media placements were continuou sly optimized based on performance data, allowing the team to respond quickly to shifting demand and maximize return on investment across channels.
A key focus was leveraging new Denver air service, expanding reach into a high-potential long-haul market, alongside sustained investment in core Texas feeder markets. Campaigns integrated programmatic, paid social, search, CTV, travel endemic platforms, and booking partners to drive both inspiration and conversion. Creative messaging and audience targeting were continuously refined throughout the year to align with traveler intent, ensuring content remained relevant, timely, and action-driven across each stage of the travel planning journey . This approach also allowed for more precise audience segmentation, reaching high-value travelers with messaging tailored to their specific in terests and travel behaviors. Through this approach, Visit Corpus Christi exceeded engagement and efficiency benchmarks while delivering measurable economic impact, driving millions in visitor spending, strong overall return on ad spend performance, and sustained visitation growth across priority markets. This performance reinforced the strength of a data-informed, full-funnel strategy that continued to adapt to evolving traveler behavior and shifting market conditions. Together, these efforts fully strengthened the destination’s competitive position and supported long-term, sustainable growth across key leisure segments.
top metrics at a glance
total impressions 183M total return on ad spend 2.80:1
$7,620,000 in 2025 TOTAL TRACKED
In 2025, Visit Corpus Christi continued to strengthen its digital presence through strategic web and social media efforts desig ned to engage audiences and inspire travel. By delivering timely, visually compelling content and optimizing performance across platforms, the team drove increased visibility, deeper engagement, and meaningful connections with both new and returning visitors. These efforts supported overall marketing goals, reinforcing Corpus Christi’s position as a year-round coastal destination.
MAKING WAVES IN THE MEDIA LANDSCAPE
In 2025, the media landscape shifted significantly due to fragmentation, layoffs, and restructuring across major travel and lifestyle outlets, including Thrillist, Time Out, Forbes, and Outside. In response, Visit Corpus Christi maintained strong momentum by adapting its approach, prioritizing reactive storytelling and capitalizing on high-demand seasonal trends with faster turnaround times.
These efforts resulted in increased feature coverage and placements in top “hot list” outlets such as Travel + Leisure, Lonely Planet, AAA Explorer, and Texas Highways, along with destination features in Southern Living, InsideHook, and Sports Illustrated.
The team expanded coverage of local events and festivals and supported the launch of Frontier Airlines’ nonstop service between Corpus Christi and Denver through strategic media outreach, press trips, broadcast integrations, and creator collaborations. This effort was further supported by media missions and deskside appointments in key markets, including Oklahoma City, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Austin, which strengthened national media relationships.
“This Might Just Be the South’s Most Underrated City- With Excellent Bird Watching Top-tier Dining, and 60+ Miles of Pristine Beaches”
UVM: 10,233,649
“Fly Fishing by Day, City Vibes by Night: Why Corpus Christi is a Great Getaway”
UVM: 38,095,063
“This Capital Texas Town Is Known as the ‘The Sparking City by The Sea’ And It’s Easy”
UVM: 14,188,886
2025 fiNaNcials
2026 budget bReaKdowN
Our FY26 combined budget of $10.4M reflects strategic investment across marketing, sales, and visitor experience to support con tinued growth in Corpus Christi’s visitor economy. With nearly half dedicated to marketing spanning leisure, PR, and strategic sports and sal es efforts, the organization remains focused on amplifying the destination’s presence and driving visitation. This approach supports long-term success through responsible resource management and sustained investment across key areas of the organization.
fy26 vcc & tpid combined budget
VISION 2030
STRATEGIC PILLARS
All departmental work is aligned with four strategic pillars:
bold smarketing
Fuel demand with bold, data-informed sales and marketing strategies.
Purposeful Placemaking
Enhance the physical, cultural, and experiential environment for residents and visitors.
Advocacy & Alignment driven organization
Strengthen relationships, build trust, and champion tourism’s value as a public good.
Invest in people, systems, and governance to operate as a high-performing, future-ready DMO.
Special Thanks to Our Board Members
2025 visit corpus christi board of directors
BOARD CHAIR
Dr. Natalie Ann Chapa
Del Mar College
SECRETARY
Michelle Braselton
Keller Williams
CHAIR EMERITUS
Richard Lomax
Water Street LTD
LODGING AT-LARGE
Amy Granberry
Port Royal Ocean Resort
RESTAURANT INDUSTRY
Richard Lomax
Water Street LTD
ATTRACTIONS
Zack Jurasek
Glow Row
AT-LARGE
Latoya Rodriguez
Rose Soiree
BOARD CHAIR
Krystof Kucewicz
Omni Corpus Christi Hotel
SECRETARY
Charlie Bhakta
Embassy Suites
LODGING INDUSTRY
Shital Patel
Best Western Downtown
Raju Bhagat
Holiday Inn Marina
Darshak Patel
Fairfield Inn, Residence Inn (SPID), Spark
VICE CHAIR
Chris Hamilton
Victory Building Team
COMMUNITY AT-LARGE
Peter Zanoni, City Manager
City of Corpus Christi
LODGING INDUSTRY
Deven Bhakta
ZJZ Hospitality
SHORT TERM RENTAL
Alex Harris
Brite Star Development
ATTRACTIONS
Jennifer Vela
Texas State Aquarium
AT-LARGE
Chris Hamilton
Victory Building Team
AT-LARGE
Michelle Braselton
Keller Williams
TREASURER
Krystof Kucewicz
Omni Corpus Christi Hotel
COMMUNITY AT-LARGE
Paulette Guajardo, Mayor
City of Corpus Christi
LODGING INDUSTRY
Krystof Kucewicz
Omni Corpus Christi Hotel
RESTAURANT INDUSTRY
Hank Harrison
The Harrison Group
ATTRACTIONS
Steve Banta
USS Lexington Museum
AT-LARGE
Jennifer Lira
Citgo
CORPUS CHRISTI AIRPORT DIRECTOR
Richard McCurley
Corpus Christi International Airport
2025 tpid board of directors
VICE CHAIR
Nancy Patel
Red Roof Inn
VISIT CORPUS CHRISTI CEO
Brook Kaufman
Visit Corpus Christi
Roshan Bhakta
Candlewood Suites NAS
Digvijay (DJ) Jadeja
Motel 6 - Paul Jones
Kunal Patel
Doubletree
TREASURER
Ajit David
Springhill, Tru, Hyatt Place
TEXAS HOTEL & LODGING ASSOCIATION
Scott Joslove
Texas Hotel & Lodging Association
Kalpesh (KC) Chaudhari
Emerald Beach/Wyndham Resort
Parixit Bhakta
La Quinta Southwest, Airport
Jatin Patel
Baymont, Super 8, Days Inn
The Visit Corpus Christi Team
This city has never needed anyone’s permission to be extraordinary. Corpus Christi was built by people who looked at a stretch of South Texas coastline — wind-scoured, salt-stung, storm-tested — and decided to stay. To build. To raise families, cast nets, open doors, and come back after every storm. That grit isn’t a talking point. It’s in the concrete. It’s in the people. And it is in every single thing we do. Visit Corpus Christi exists because of that spirit — and because of what happens when you believe, without apology, that this place deserves to be seen. That belief delivered in 2025. More than 5 million visitors. $1.7 billion in total economic impact. 126% of our convention room night goal. 123% of our sports room night goal. National media placements in Travel + Leisure, Southern Living, and Sports Illustrated. A city on television screens across the country — and in the conversations of travelers already planning their return.
None of that happens without the people in this report. Our board. Our team. Our partners. The hotel operators, restaurant owners, attraction managers, community leaders, and elected officials who show up alongside us, year after year, because they know what this place is worth. We are accredited. We have been recognized for our culture and our performance. Those distinctions matter because excellence is how we honor the city we represent. But the recognition is not why we come to work. We come because Corpus Christi is worth fighting for — because there is a future being built here, on the bayfront and in boardrooms, on boat docks and in taqueria kitchens, in every conversation that ends with you have to go to Corpus Christi. Our best days as a city are still ahead of us. That future belongs to everyone willing to be part of it. This is an open invitation. Come build it with us.
