Bay City Tribune

The Matagorda County Convention and Visitors Bureau plans to double its efforts in advertising in 2010 after reaping big dividends from advertising in 2009.

Mitch Thames, Matagorda County Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director, told Bay City Community Development Corporation board members that 2009 was an excellent year for tourism in the county.

"2009 was a great year," he said.

"I think when you look back on (sales) taxes and you see that we were down a certain percent, it worries me that if we had not had a huge influx of visitors and individuals driving through our community, what that number would have been."

He said the numbers of visitors driving onto Matagorda Beaches recorded by county officials were huge in comparison to past years.

"Those numbers are huge, due to the hurricane damage sustained by our neighbors to the East, but I think also due, in large part, to the advertising that's going on and the awakening that's going on to exactly where Matagorda is and what it has to offer," Thames said.

He announced plans to increase the scope of advertising for Matagorda County in 2010.

"We're planning for Spring Break," he said.

"We're working diligently to make sure we're an alternate for those college and high school kids as well as parents."

"We want to be an alternative to the glitzy and glamorous South Padre Islands and Galvestons," said Thames.

He said they are centering their advertising hook on the educational and affordable opportunities offered in Matagorda County.

The CVB plans to center their advertising in the greater Houston area and to branch out as well.

"We are going to co-op with some other groups that will allow us to appear in some statewide publications," said Thames.

They will also plan to increase the amount of television advertising done in 2010.

"As you know we run our television commercial four months out of the year highlighting our summer activities and we'd like to double that and go into an 8-month rotation," Thames said.

He said they'll continue to focus the advertising on fishing, hunting and summertime activities in Matagorda County but also highlight birding opportunities.

"We really need to grab an angle in a TV commercial for birding," he said.

"I'm not sure we've captured that as much as we'd like to do and so that's in our future plans for 2010."

Thames said the CVB was able to make a lot of in-roads in 2009 and hopes to continue the momentum in 2010.