CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Corpus Christi has many features and attractions that sets it apart from other cities in America. However, city leaders and groups believe there's always room for improvement.
Visit Corpus Christi has been working on DestinationNEXT 2023, which helped the organization assess gaps and opportunities in the visitor economy with assessment tools, practical action, and strategies for sustainable access.
This was developed through a partnership with DestinationNEXT to provide a data-driven methodology for helping Visit Corpus Christi increase the overall value in our community.
Visit Corpus Christi hired a consulting firm, gathered hundreds of survey responses, conducted interviews with community leaders and hosted public town halls to get feedback.
On Thursday, they presented their results, revealing the city's strengths and weaknesses based off of the data gathered.
"There was a discussion on accessibility for the community, not just tourism but for the community in general," Brett Oetting, the president and CEO of Visit Corpus Christi said. "There were questions regarding improving biking and walking abilities, access to public transportation, as well as the needs to improve air service and air access. So all those types of things will go into our strategic plan and Visit Corpus Christi will look into those things to see if it's something we can assist with."
Visit CC is creating a four year strategic plan. A similar effort was conducted in 2020.
Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni believed the area has been making progress within that time frame. He said the Coastal Bend continues to be a more coveted destination.
However, he believes more improvements could enhance the city's natural qualities.
"We need more amenities. Places like the Texas State Aquarium are destinations. But that's something the private sector will have to help us on," he said.
