South Padre Ranks Among The Top 5 Texas Destinations
South Padre ranked as the third most-visited Texas attraction for out-of-state tourists by a recent state-requested study.
 South Padre Island has been drawing national attention for the past few years. Based on a state-requested study conducted by Virginia-based D.K. Shifflet & Associates Inc., South Padre ranked as the 3rd Texas destination among out-of-state visitors in 2006 and 5th among tourists and residents. The Island was also ranked as the top winter getaway in the state for 2007 by texaslesstravelled.com.
South Padre Island's Convention and Visitor's Bureau have made an effort to keep promoting the city as one of the premier destinations on the Gulf Coast. In the past two months the Island has hosted events such as the World Championship Shrimp Cook-Off, SPI Bikefest Rally, SPI Sandcastle Days, and this year the first annual South Padre Island International Musical Festival took place with great success.
“We wanted to get people talking about South Padre Island in a different way than they ever have before,” said Tim Hayden, president and owner of Austin-based Game Plan Marketing & Events LLC, and the man responsible for putting together the three-day festival. The numbers are not yet out, but organizers and Island businesses expect the totals to be between 5,000 and 10,000 concertgoers per day.
In recent years, increasing attention has been directed to ways to better position this coastal community in the minds of birdwatchers, butterfly chasers and all sorts of environmentally interested travelers, officials said. Among the advances is the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center. When completed, it will become the ninth site of the World Birding Center.
Other changes are in the works. In the last couple years, the town has launched a series of special events and public relations efforts, including an Ecotourism Summit. Tourists do place an importance on the environment, said Dan Quandt, the executive director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
With all the new events and attractions, South Padre Island is sure to continue drawing in local visitors as well as tourists from all over the nation.
South Padre Island's Rankings Among Visitors Top Texas destinations among tourists and residents in 2006: - Alamo
- Paseo del Rio (River Walk)
- San Marcos Outlet Malls
- State Capitol
- South Padre Island
- Cabella’s
- Kemah Boardwalk
- Six Flags Over Texas
- Sea World of Texas
- Moody Gardens
| Top Texas destinations among out-of-state visitors in 2006: - Alamo
- Paseo del Rio (River Walk)
- South Padre Island
- State Capitol
- Fort Worth Stockyards (tie)
- Houston Space Center (tie)
- Six Flags Over Texas
- San Marcos Outlet Malls (tie)
- Sea World of Texas (tie)
- Texas Motor Speedway (tie)
| Top Texas destinations among state residents in 2006: - San Marcos Outlets
- Paseo del Rio (River Walk)
- Alamo
- State Capitol
- Cabella’s
- Kemah Boardwalk
- The Ballpark
- South Padre Island
- Sea World of Texas (tie)
- Moody Gardens (tie)
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 Visit http://www.texasgulfcoastonline.com/TxGulfCoastCityInformation.aspx to find out a ton of information about Texas and the Texas Gulf Coast.
South Padre Island's blue waters, tropical climate, white sand and growing popularity - will always keep our real estate valuable, despite temporary market fluctuations. |