PORT ARTHUR CELEBRATES TEXAS TOURISM WEEK

The Port Arthur Convention & Visitors Bureau will be celebrating National Tourism Week and Texas Tourism Week, May 5-13, 2012.

Port Arthur-themed trinkets, while available, will be given to patrons at the Museum of the Gulf Coast during the week to say “thank you” for visiting our area and contributing to our local economy.

“The week is a great opportunity to also let our local attractions and hotels know how much they are appreciated. They are the backbone of tourism. When tourists come and have a good experience, they will return and tell friends,” Tammy Kotzur, bureau director, said.

Especially now, with the influx of industry and visitors, we can showcase our community and extend our hometown hospitality. The museums, state parks, historical homes, faith shrines and gardens all have an increased opportunity to shine. The visitors bureau staff encourages the public to visit its offices inside the Robert A. “Bob” Bowers Civic Center, from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, to pick up the new Regional Visitors Guide and see what our community has to offer. All citizens are ambassadors for the Port Arthur area.

The Port Arthur Visitors Bureau staff, including the alligator mascot, will participate in the Southeast Texas Tourism Roundup at the Ben J. Rogers Regional Visitors Center from 1 to 4 p.m. Friday, May 11. The center is on Interstate 10 by Ford Park in Beaumont. Representatives from area attractions and tourism support groups will offer refreshments and information to travelers approaching Southeast Texas.

The travel and tourism industry supports the vital interests of the City of Port Arthur by contributing to the employment, economic prosperity, trade and relations, understanding and goodwill of the community.