About the CVB

The Galveston Island Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB), promotes the image of Galveston, generates tourism, solicits meeting and convention business and coordinates the marketing and advertising efforts for the entire island. It is important for our local citizens to understand how we operate and the economic impact of tourism to the island.

The CVB operates on an annual budget of $3 million, funded through hotel occupancy tax. The Bureau receives three (3) pennies from the local hotel occupancy tax for the operation of the Visitor Information Center(s), sales staff, convention solicitation, advertising, public relations and printing of promotional materials.

The CVB focuses their sales efforts in three areas: the leisure market, the meetings and convention market, and the group tour and travel market. The CVB aggressively promotes Galveston to these entities through advertising, direct sales, trade shows, entertainment, professional organizations memberships, and public relations. In addition to these efforts, the CVB partners with our hotels, attractions, restaurants, retail and the entire hospitality industry to increase overall revenues for the island. The CVB brings in qualified meeting planners to showcase the island as a resort destination.

To generate additional convention business, the Bureau opened a satellite office in Austin in September 2003. This allows direct contact to 75% of all Texas State Association meeting planners without daily travel expenses to Austin. Due to the success, and travel savings from our CVB office, Corpus Christi, South Padre, Dallas and El Paso CVBs have recently followed suit.

After Hurricane Ike, the CVB partnered with the Galveston Historical Foundation and moved the Official Visitor Information Center to Ashton Villa’s carriage house. The center is opened seven days a week and welcomes thousands of visitors annually. The staff at the center also provides convention services to book group business.

The Galveston Island CVB sales team, for the 2009/2010 fiscal year, booked more than 52,000 definite group room nights with $28 million dollars in economic impact for the tourism industry for future group business.

This is an exciting time to promote Galveston Island as a premier resort destination. Since the opening of the new Galveston Island Convention Center at The San Luis Resort, there have been more than 500 new hotel rooms built on the island. Tourism continues to thrive and is one of the top industries in Galveston.