Texas Tourism Introduces Online, Interactive Trip Planner Tool and Driving Tours

Photo: Austin, Texas 

Texas Gov. Rick Perry today announced that Texas Tourism, the official tourism marketing organization for the state of Texas, launched a new television advertising campaign featuring some of the most unique and exciting places to be found in the Lone Star State.

Texas Tourism also announced the introduction of "Trip Planner," a new interactive planning tool on TravelTex.com, the official Web site of Texas Tourism. With Trip Planner, visitors can access pre-planned itineraries that correspond to the new advertising campaign or learn about new driving tour adventures around the state. The television and print ads can be viewed on the site as visitors plan their trips.

"Texas offers a wide variety of destinations and experiences. We've captured these unique activities, adventures, and family fun in our new advertising campaign," said Julie Chase, chief marketing officer for Economic Development and Tourism, a division of the Office of the Governor "With the new campaign and the online, interactive 'Trip Planner,' it has never been easier to plan a trip to, and through, Texas."

Trip Planner offers three distinct areas of planning:

• The "As Seen On" section allows visitors to explore locations featured in the new print and TV advertising campaign. "As Seen On" provides visitors with a chance to vividly experience the Lone Star State while planning their Texas vacation.
• The "TexTrips" section provides inspiration for planning Family Fun, Big City Sights, Fresh Air, Sea and Surf, Native Sounds, Texas Canvases, or Lone Star Destinations itineraries on an interactive Texas map.
• The enhanced "Driving Tours" section offers five driving tours, including two new routes  -- "Great Hikes," which takes outdoor enthusiasts to some of the top hiking destinations in West Texas, and the "Wildlife Tour," which shows off some of our state's more exotic wildlife and interesting natural wonders.
  

In the near future, Trip Planner will offer visitors an interactive tool that will help create customized Texas itineraries. Tourism is one of the largest industries in Texas, employing 521,000 Texans. In 2006, travelers spent almost $54 billion in Texas. Travel expenditures generated $2.7 billion in state taxes and $930 million in local taxes.