Tourism in Tarrant County, and Southlake specifically, has contributed to making the state of Texas the third-ranked in the country for tourism, according to a recent report by MySouthlakeNews. The state claims an estimated 255 million domestic visitors in 2015, who spent $69 billion in travel expenses, supported nearly 653,000 jobs, and generated $6.2 billion in state and local tax revenues, according to the article.
Further, Tarrant County saw tourists spend $7.45 billion; $22.6 million of that was in Southlake sales tax revenue, accounting for 75 percent of total sales tax collected. This data was generated in 2014, as the 2015 numbers were not yet available.
The article goes on to say tourism supports more than 7,500 jobs and 1,100 businesses in Southlake, and tourism dollars save Southlake taxpayers an average of $1,292 per household in property taxes.
According to the city of Southlake, visitors come to the area for the 33 parks, 6 miles of trails, 301 retailers, 136 restaurants, and many more reasons.
"The Tourism Division recently launched an updated, mobile-ready website, VisitSouthlakeTexas.com," the article reported, "to entice and educate tourists about city events and news. It features an online calendar, visitor’s guide, and a continuously updated list of things to do."
Information courtesy of MySouthlakeNews.com. To read the full story, click here.