Destinations Texas CEO Kathleen Davis on Why Texas Towns Want Tourists, Not New Residents
On The Building Texas Show, Kathleen Davis, CDME, president and CEO of Destinations Texas, explains what destination organizations do, how visitors fund tourism marketing and how AI is changing the way Texans travel.
Dallas, TX (Newsworthy.ai) Friday Nov 6, 2026 @ 8:13 AM CST
Kathleen Davis, CDME, president and CEO of Destinations Texas, on The Building Texas Show episode cover.
“When the visitor comes into your community, they're not putting a burden on housing. They're not putting a burden on the schools, on the police, on the fire departments. They're coming in, they're spending money, and then they're leaving.”
In an episode of The Building Texas Show, Why Your Texas Town Wants Tourists, Not New Residents | Destinations Texas CEO, host Justin McKenzie talks with Kathleen Davis, CDME, president and CEO of Destinations Texas, about how Texas towns grow their tourism economies and why visitors are good for the communities that host them. The full conversation is also on YouTube.
Destinations Texas, formerly the Texas Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus, is an association for destination organization professionals. Davis explains that every destination has a DO or DMO, a destination organization or destination management organization, that promotes the destination, brands it, helps develop it, and brings in visitors and conventions. "When the visitor comes into your community, they're not putting a burden on housing," she says. "They're not putting a burden on the schools, on the police, on the fire departments. They're coming in, they're spending money, and then they're leaving."
Kathleen Davis, CDME, president and CEO of Destinations Texas, on The Building Texas Show episode cover.
“When the visitor comes into your community, they're not putting a burden on housing. They're not putting a burden on the schools, on the police, on the fire departments. They're coming in, they're spending money, and then they're leaving.”
Much of that work is funded by the hotel occupancy tax, which Davis says "is paid for by the visitor. It's not paid by the resident." As a result, she says, the marketing these organizations do "is not costing residents a dime."
Davis says strategies differ by destination. Boerne is largely a leisure destination for families, couples and girls' weekends, while Dallas relies heavily on conventions and groups. Across her membership, she sees:
- More day trips and regional trips, with travelers using clusters of nearby destinations such as the Metroplex, Austin and San Antonio, and Fredericksburg and Boerne
- Early adoption of AI to target the right markets, fill slower days and help small DMO teams, some of them one-person shops, work more efficiently
- Growing use of data to track the visitor journey and show partners the economic impact of marketing
Destinations Texas supports its members with an annual conference, a women's leadership conference, a winter masterclass conference and an innovation summit, plus online training and a resource library. Davis says the organization also helps non-members: "Just because you're not a member doesn't mean we won't help you."
Her advice for every Texan is simple. "Number one, be friendly when the visitors are coming in. Make them feel welcome," Davis says. She encourages residents to offer to help their local DMO, post positive things about their town and become "raving fans" of their hometowns, a phrase she borrows from the book Raving Fans, because "that third-party endorsement from them means so much more than an advertisement."
Watch and listen: the full episode is on The Building Texas Show episode page and on YouTube.
About The Building Texas Show
The Building Texas Show, hosted by Justin McKenzie, tells the stories of the founders, community leaders and projects shaping Texas, from economic development and small business to conservation and education. New episodes publish weekly on YouTube and all major podcast platforms, with highlights on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn at @thebuildingtexasshow. Watch, listen and subscribe at www.buildingtexasshow.com and https://www.youtube.com/@thebuildingtexasshow.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Destinations Texas?
- An association for destination organization professionals in Texas, formerly the Texas Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus.
- What is a DMO?
- A destination organization or destination management organization that promotes, brands and helps develop a destination, and brings in visitors and conventions.
- Who pays the hotel occupancy tax?
- Visitors. Davis explains that the tax is added to hotel stays and paid by the visitor, not by residents, and much of it funds destination marketing.
- How is AI changing Texas tourism?
- Davis says destination organizations are using AI to target markets, fill slower days and help small teams work more efficiently, and travelers are using it to plan trips.
- How can residents help their town's tourism economy?
- Be friendly and welcoming to visitors, share positive posts about the community, and reach out to the local DMO to help spread the word.
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