Video/Podcast: How tourism affects the local economy and what you can expect this summer

By Colin Killian, Public Communications Director

In this week's episode of "What's Up, College Station?" Grace Hallowell and Visit College Station’s Jeremiah Cook discuss the significant impact of tourism on the local economy, events coming to town this summer, and whether Georgia’s Uga or Texas A&M’s Reveille is the most beautiful SEC mascot.

For more on local tourism or what to do around College Station, go to visit.cstx.gov. In case you missed it, Cook updated the City Council about the City’s tourism efforts on May 22.

 The “What’s Up, College Station?” podcast is available weekly via Podbean, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Apple, and Amazon/Audible. Please subscribe, rate, and recommend!

If you have a suggestion for a future topic or interview, email me at ckillian@cstx.gov.

TRANSCRIPT

Grace Hallowell:

What's Up College Station? I'm Grace Hallowell, and today my guest is Jeremiah Cook, the assistant director of Tourism over at Visit College Station.

We are here to discuss the tourism update that you recently presented to the City Council here in College Station. Before that, I kind of want to get into, I know I've mentioned on the show before that I am a College Station transplant a,nd I know you are as well. So let's talk about what drew you to College Station.

Jeremiah Cook:

I'm rounding out three years here, which has been super exciting, but I actually came here for this job. And so I had worked in tourism in a different college town before this. And so I gained a deeper understanding of what tourism in a college community entails. It is a little different from, say, being at a beach or a mountain. And so had some experience and thought this would be a really cool opportunity because College Station is not just any college town. First off, there are 70,000 students and so many more opportunities. So it was a really exciting opportunity to move here to College Station.

Grace Hallowell:

What sets College Station apart from other college towns?

Jeremiah Cook:

Aside from the size, it's the hospitality that's here. I think the people that you interact with, that true howdy hospitality that you can experience, you can't find anywhere else.

Grace Hallowell:

I'm not sure if you were the same way, but when my husband and I moved here, we came in blind. We had never visited College Station, let alone the state of Texas, before we arrived, but we were surprised. We're Northerners. We're Yankees. So we're used to everybody keeping to themselves and not really bothering anyone, but we were so surprised at how friendly and welcoming and, "Oh, you're new here. Go here. Check out Northgate. Check out the Dixie Chicken, all of the traditions." We didn't really feel like outsiders when we got here.

Jeremiah Cook:

You feel like you're doing something wrong when someone speaks to you in the parking lot at HEB, but in fact, that's just normal here. That's actually how people act. So it's really cool.

Grace Hallowell:

And with tourism, it's a unique job. You have a niche set of skills and a specific audience you're trying to reach with your work. So, what is one misconception or something that people would be surprised to know about the work that you do?

Jeremiah Cook:

I think the common misconception is probably that they just don't know that we do anything, right? Most people don't know about the tourism department or what we're doing on a daily basis, or understand the true impact that tourism has on our community. The latest numbers indicate that there are 5,600 people employed in tourism alone here in College Station as of 2024. And tourism happens in the background. People don't realize how much it's a true economic driver here in our community.

Grace Hallowell:

My hometown is a tourist town of Erie, Pennsylvania, but it's kind of the same with football season here; they have limited tourism peak times in the summertime. In College Station, there's always something going on no matter what time of year is it.

Jeremiah Cook:

That's right. And it's not just sports tournaments. It's not just football Saturdays, but the conferences that are coming into town, the business travel that's coming through. There are so many different aspects, and I think that's what's really cool about our economy.

Grace Hallowell:

What makes you so passionate about tourism, and specifically tourism in College Station?

Jeremiah Cook:

What excites me the most is that the work that we do matters. And I think that's part of being in a municipality: every one of us has some way to connect the work we do to the quality of life of our citizens. And for us, it's a little bit more direct in some ways because we help bring conferences here, and then the hotels can employ more people, or the restaurants can employ more people. It's really cool in that aspect. Additionally, when visitors come to town, they pay sales tax and contribute to the local economy. And so it's both direct and indirect, the impact that tourism has on our community,

Grace Hallowell:

That's really important because you want to live where there are exciting things happening, economic growth, and all of these good benefits. So, before we get into the update, what is something about you that most people don't know? I know that's a daunting question.

Jeremiah Cook:

I think that most people don't know (my job interview) was my first trip to Texas when I came here in 2022. I had never been in Texas before. College Station was the first Texas city I had ever been to, but we instantly fell in love with it. I'm from the southeast originally, so I understood what southern hospitality is, but I had no clue about Texas hospitality. I think it's something that's a little bit different for me than maybe other people's stories.

Grace Hallowell:

Similar to me never being to Texas before. But yes, the southern hospitality of College Station is definitely unmatched. So the tourism update. Let's talk about what is in this update and why it matters.

Jeremiah Cook:

First, we'll review the 2024 numbers and examine what our hotels experienced in 2024. We had a really, really good year, and I think that's not shocking to anyone. You're talking about the George Strait concert or the MexTour soccer match in the summer. You talk about the incredible football season, capped off with the Texas game at the end of November. That really was a record-breaking year in our local hospitality community.

And so walking through some of those numbers, and the state projected that there were 469 million in visitor spending last year, which is a crazy number. Usually, when I ask people, "How much do visitors spend here?" we start at $10 million. And then, according to how much time I have, we'll go up by $10 million more until we get there, because you don't think about this amount of money floating around you at all times through these visitors. And that was up 7.8% year-over-year, which is super critical, is that it wasn't just that more people came into the community, but that there was actually more spending, and that there was an overall increase in the entire economy there last year.

Grace Hallowell:

That's very surprising to me. What else can you tell us?

Jeremiah Cook:

And so, just looking ahead at what's to come. This summer is always a really busy time for sports. We host numerous sports tournaments during the summer, and that's already underway. We've had stuff going back to Memorial Day every weekend. You've got some of the things that we're used to, like the 7-on-7. It's at the end of the month. They feel like that's part of the fabric of what College Station is. It's been here for so long, and our residents look forward to it, and we know when it's coming down the pike. However, this year, something new is the Games of Texas, which our parks department has been working really hard on for the last few months.

Grace Hallowell:

That is a big one, and it's something we've done in the past. But this year, I have a feeling it's going to be bigger and better.

Jeremiah Cook:

We talk a lot about the fact that for a tournament to be here in July, it has to be something really, really large because you're not going to run a small tournament in a really, really hot place in the middle of July. And so last year, we had USA Track and Field, and people were here from all over the country. And then we have an Olympic-style event in Games of Texas this summer and next summer, partnering with the City of Bryan, Texas A&M, as well as our parks department, Destination Bryan. A lot of people are coming together to pull off this incredible event at the end of July.

Grace Hallowell:

Compete College Station, which is about sports tourism, is another aspect of tourism in College Station. And you work hand in hand with our parks department, as you mentioned, which is something I find very unique about our community. This partnership also aligns with Texas' values, and sports are at the core of our young people's lives here, as well as those of our adults. So what else can you tell us?

Jeremiah Cook:

The other things that we're looking at in the future are, event-wise, are we bringing here? We do conventions and we do sports well, but something we've not really dove into a lot is what those signature events are. And so we're working with our tourism committee that council appointed to really begin to focus on what are those signature events that we want to add to the leisure calendar so that it's not just I have to come to College Station because this tournament is there, I have to come to College Station because this conference I want to go to is there, but what other leisure things are people saying, "You know what? I could take a weekend from Dallas and go spend it in College Station." That's something we see on the horizon as we're getting ready to go into the future.

Grace Hallowell:

That is something that I am looking forward to. I know this is a lot of numbers, facts, and data. Where can people find out more?

Jeremiah Cook:

Visit.cstx.gov is the easiest place to find all of this, but then we were really excited to launch our new About Us page on our website. Click on "About Us" in the top right corner, and you'll be able to find the reports we're working on. You'll be able to find phase one of the feasibility study for the convention center. You'll be able to find our strategic planning documents as they begin to roll out, and monthly hotel data. We really wanted to make sure that anybody interested in finding out more, all of it can be found on that site. So we're excited to have rolled that out a few weeks ago, and local residents can check into that.

Grace Hallowell:

Perfect. Now, before we wrap things up, we're going to start something new here on What's Up College Station. You are our test subject here. We're going to play a quick, fun game of some rapid-fire questions and learn a little bit about you. I don't know if I'll give my answers as well because we'll change these out each episode, but to start things off, are you a night owl or an early bird?

Jeremiah Cook:

I have a 10-month-old at home. So an early bird is mandated, I think, at this point.

Grace Hallowell:

So like a night owl and an early bird, depending.

Jeremiah Cook:

That's right. Kind of forced upon me, I guess.

Grace Hallowell:

I would say I'm more of a night owl than an early bird. It takes me a minute to wake up in the morning. I have a process of drinking my coffee and listening to my podcasts. Who is, speaking of coffee, the one person, dead or alive, that you would like to share a cup of coffee with?

Jeremiah Cook:

I think that I would really like to share a cup of coffee with Abe Lincoln. I feel like that's the easiest answer in the world, but would it be really interesting? I have a lot of questions.

Grace Hallowell:

He was on my list as well, but I think my answer would have to be either David Bowie or Elvis Presley. They are very interesting people, and I have a lot of questions.

What is your favorite place or thing to do in College Station?

Jeremiah Cook:

I think that probably my favorite thing to do is hanging out in Century Square -- the restaurants, the shopping, all of those things. Porter's is one of my favorite restaurants.

I love everything going on at the Calvary, The George, and PopStroke. That was kind of a cheat answer because it encapsulated about 15 things, but it's definitely top of my list when I'm just hanging out here.

Grace Hallowell:

It might throw some people for a loop, but my favorite thing to do here is Post Oak Mall. My first job was in a mall. and I am a fan of shows like Stranger Things that have that '80s feel where the mall was the hangout spot. I love spending my weekends going to the mall, getting a smoothie, walking around, and shopping.

Jeremiah Cook:

Hey, you can never go wrong with Great American cookies. I do love a good cookie at the mall.

Grace Hallowell:

Speaking of cookies, what is your favorite food?

Jeremiah Cook:

It's always been barbecue, but being from the southeast, it was pork. But since moving here, I've absolutely fallen in love with brisket, and it is top of my list. Anytime you're like, "Jeremiah, where do you want to go?" brisket's going to be my number one answer.

Grace Hallowell:

I was not well-versed in barbecue, being from the north. My favorite food is any Italian pasta dish, the red sauce. That's very different from barbecue, but similar because Texas barbecue has a tomatoey flavor to it.

Finally, you are a Georgia grad.

Jeremiah Cook:

That's right.

Grace Hallowell:

So who is the better mascot? Is it Uga, or Reveille X?

Jeremiah Cook:

I think that I'm not at liberty to say at this point. Both are great options, and I think that I've never seen a dog with as beautiful a coat as Reveille. I've always said that when you get to pet her, it's like cotton. It's so soft and beautiful. But my heart also loves Uga. So I don't know. I'm 50/50 on this one.

Grace Hallowell:

Good answers. Thank you so much for being here, Jeremiah.

And that's What's Up.

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