Galveston Island Park Board of Trustees

Did you know that Park Board and the City of Galveston regularly collaborate on tourism goals for Galveston Island??? Read more from Park Board CEO Kimberly Danesi's guest column in the Galveston County Daily News. ??? ** The City of Galveston and the Park Board, though separate entities, share common goals. Last year, the Galveston City Council determined a set of goals the Park Board should work on to best serve the community. Priority areas included tourism development, coastal operations and projects, plus matters that affect the Park Board’s general fund. When it comes to tourism development, the council requested the Park Board place an emphasis on heritage, environmental and cruise-passenger tourism. Heritage tourism has been and continues to be a major project initiative in all segments of Visit Galveston’s operations — from marketing to sales, to public relations. Galveston’s place as a significant immigration port, the birthplace of Juneteenth and home to museums and plentiful historic sites lends itself to this marketing message. The same is true for environmental tourism, or eco-tourism. Messages about being a good environmental steward, leaving no trace and respecting the coast are built into promotional campaigns. The Park Board has also forged relationships with local conservation agencies to coordinate beach clean-ups at San Luis Pass and other locations, providing supplies and trash disposal. The messaging is working. In 2023, Coastal Zone Management crews picked up nearly 3,500,000 pounds of trash. In 2024, that number dropped to 2,250,000 pounds. More than a million people come to Galveston Island to hop on a cruise ship each year. That number will grow thanks to the new cruise lines making Galveston their home. Marketing and public relations efforts, coupled with sales efforts at major cruise-line trade events, have helped encourage cruisers to incorporate a stay in Galveston, pre- or post-cruise to enhance their vacations. The Park Board manages several city assets including Seawolf Park, East Beach, Stewart Beach, Seawall Urban Park and Dellanera Park... Read the full story and support the Daily News at https://lnkd.in/ggwZWBV5

Visit Galveston is attracting international travelers. ???? Tony Lyle, Executive Director of Visit Galveston contributed a guest column to the Galveston County Daily News highlighting the organization's efforts to attract destination travelers to Galveston from around the world. ** Visit Galveston is diving headfirst into the travel trade industry. While the organization’s sales team has long courted associations and professional groups to travel here, the travel trade offers a different segment working with domestic and international travel advisors and tour operators to bring in visitors who stay longer, experience more attractions and historic sites, and spend more money while they’re here. Travel trade professionals are comprised of advisors, agents, hotel wholesalers, and brokers. They work with destinations to attract international and domestic travelers, individuals, and groups. To help bolster the international travel segment, Visit Galveston hosted an informational education session for industry partners at the Galveston Island Convention Center on Tuesday. Led by representatives from Alon Tourism Solutions and the International Inbound Travel Association (IITA), more than 30 Galveston tourism partners attended. The session aimed to introduce Galveston’s tourism industry partners to the benefits of working with international tour operators. According to IITA statistics, international visitors are a boon to destinations — especially seasonal ones like Galveston Island. International visitors have long vacation times, often four to six weeks; they plan their trips well in advance, coinciding with shoulder seasons and serving as a hedge against bad weather; and they make their plans with travel agencies and tour operators to devise optimal itineraries. Visit Galveston is making concerted efforts with IITA, Brand USA, the nation’s destination marketing organization, and Travel Texas, the state’s tourism agency, to ensure that Galveston Island is part of those itineraries. Hiring Travel Trade Manager Ted Bowen is another key to those efforts. Bowen began at Visit Galveston in April and brings experience from similar work in Houston and New Orleans. He regularly attends travel trade shows and conferences to meet buyers of travel products where they are and coordinates visits to Galveston so they can better understand our product and offerings. Bowen recently joined the delegation at Brand USA’s European Travel Week meeting with respected tour operators, where he worked to get Galveston featured in their product offerings and itineraries... To read the full story and support GDN, go to https://lnkd.in/gETV2xb3.

"Galveston Beach Patrol is one of the busiest lifeguard services in the country," says GIBP Chief Peter Davis. ???? We are so proud of the well-deserved recognition our very own GIBP team received on KFDM News, serving the Port Arthur and Beaumont area. #GalvestonBeachPatrol #LoveGalveston #RescueHiSurf https://lnkd.in/gcRjtu7X

Celebrating International Project Management Day with a spotlight on Sheryl Rozier! ???? Sheryl’s expertise in managing large-scale, multi-million-dollar projects has been a driving force behind the transformation of our coastal community. From expanding the beachfront to ensuring sustainable growth, her leadership has touched countless lives, improving the experience for both locals and visitors alike. Thank you, Sheryl, for your dedication, vision, and commitment to excellence. ????? #InternationalProjectManagementDay #CoastalProjects #LoveGalveston #BeachNourishment

?? Visit Galveston recently hosted IITA’s Inbound Insider Steps to Success? program, bringing together over 25 tourism stakeholders for this session! This program, led by industry expert Jennifer Ackerson, equips travel professionals with critical insights into the value of the international inbound market and offers essential training on working effectively with the travel trade to boost ROI. A big thank you to Visit Galveston for hosting this successful event and to Jennifer Ackerson for delivering such valuable knowledge to support the city’s tourism growth! ???? #StepsToSuccess #TourismIndustry #TravelTrade #VisitGalveston #IITA Picture from left to right - Bryan Kunz, CTA, STS and Ted Bowen IV, CTA, Visit Galveston, Lena Ross AMERICA 4 YOU L.L.C., Jennifer Ackerson, Alon Tourism Solutions, Julie Heizer, IITA, and Tony Lyle, President & CEO, Visit Galveston.?

Canine resuscitation masks are now in every Galveston Island Beach Patrol vehicle! ???? Thanks to the work of the GALVESTON ISLAND HUMANE SOCIETY INC (GIHS) and a generous anonymous donor, 15 Pet O2 resuscitation masks are now on each of our Beach Patrol vehicles, with an additional 8 masks provided for Galveston Fire Department trucks. These masks from Wag'N 02 Fur Life can help save pets’ lives during emergency situations. ?? [Picture shows Gwen Norman, Assistant Director of GIHS; Peter Davis, Chief of the GIBP and Bobbie, a friendly and ??available?? Husky/Shepherd mix.] #GalvestonBeachPatrol #PetSafety #GalvestonParkBoard #masksfurlife #LoveGalveston

Thank you, Jason Worthen ?? One of the new Up2U free trash bag boxes at 27th street beach features a blue plaque honoring Jason Worthen and his years of dedication as a Park Board trustee and the chair of the Beach Maintenance Advisory Committee. During his time with the Park Board, Jason has always been a big advocate for the cleanliness of our beaches and educating the public on the importance of our jobs as stewards of the island. ?? #LoveGalveston #BeachCleaning #CleanGreenPristine

Galveston Island has more free trash bags!?? Our Coastal Zone Management team placed three more Up2U boxes holding free, reusable trash bags on the sand this weekend. You can find these boxes at: ??♂? 61st street beachfront ??? 27th street beachfront ?? Stewart Beach Park ? Seawolf Park Eagle Scout Preston Greene of Troop 123 built these boxes for his Eagle Scout project. He has been working on this project with the Park Board's Environmental Coordinator, Elizabeth Schnieder Walla. Thanks, Preston, for helping inspire others to keep our beaches clean. ???? #LoveGalveston #Up2U #Up2UGalveston #BeachCleaning

Do you have an event-based business? We're excited to launch the ?? Pre-approved Vendor Program ?? to make planning unforgettable events at Park Board parks easier and better than ever! ?? Vendors who join the program will experience: ?? Enhanced visibility ?? Stronger partnerships ?? A Streamlined permitting process And more! Ready to join? ?? Contact us at [email protected] to apply by January 31st! #GalvestonVendors #EventPros #BeachfrontEvents

BOO! ?? We are dropping a note to say that everyone looked SPOOKTACULAR this weekend. ?? A busy weekend on Galveston Island means a busy weekend for the Visit Galveston team and that you will probably find our mobile visitor information center out and about. This weekend, our Destination Experts celebrated Island Boo Fest in Downtown Galveston and captured some stunning golf cart décor. Way to show out, Galveston Island! ?? #LoveGalveston #Halloween2024 #GalvestonEvents