DFW Area Tourism Council
Encyclopedia
Formed to jointly market the entire Dallas/Fort Worth area as a single destination, the Dallas/Fort Worth Area Tourism Council (DFWATC), a not-for-profit organization, has banded together all segments of the tourism industry. The Council represents area communities, area hotels, major area attractions, museums, restaurants, shopping/retail establishments, transportation companies and support services to the industry.
Mission:
“To increase tourism revenue and visitors through cooperative public/private partnerships; to market the exciting Dallas/Fort Worth/North Texas area as a travel destination; to educate the public on the economic importance of tourism and to provide support on tourism industry issues of concern to the region.”
The Council focuses on the promotion of the DFW area as a leisure destination to growing regional inbound market with heavy concentration on attracting visitors within a 500 mile radius. Today, celebrating 31 years of promoting the region, the Council has grown from our six founding cities and handful of attractions to a member partnership of over 40 cities, in a 32 county area, representing over 150 organizational members in Dallas, Fort Worth & Beyond!
DFWATC is directed by an Executive Committee and Board of Directors
and governed by a constitution and bylaws.
, Dallas, Fort Worth and Irving
. Within three years, they were joined by the cities of Grapevine
and Grand Prairie. Formed to jointly market the entire Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
as a single destination, the Council changed its name in the mid-eighties to the Dallas/Fort Worth Area Tourism Council.
During the early years, the Council primarily concentrated on the international market, an area not being addressed by individual members, as well as maintaining members in ABA, NTA and other similar organizations. In 1982, in response to membership requests it shifted direction to address a growing regional inbound market with heavy concentration on attracting visitors within a 300-500 mile radius of the DFW area. While addressing the regional market as a primary target market, the Council also addresses the domestic travel market and international market.
consumers, tour and travel planners, travel journalists, and visitors both inbound and during their stay in the DFW area in a variety of ways.
Notable among its strategy are the following:
• Council-sponsored media familiarization tours into the area
• Cooperative advertising through electronic and print media
• Annual distribution of the 400,000 of the Official Visitors Guide
• Press releases to local, regional and national media
• Cooperative participation in travel/consumer shows
• Council sponsored events that reach specialized target market segments
• Individual member opportunities for exposure to the media
In 2009, the Council started its Dallas/Fort Worth Area Tourism Council Foundation to promote educational endeavors to strengthen the North Texas Hospitality & Tourism industry and workforce.
Being a service based industry; a skilled and qualified workforce is vital to the success and future of tourism and the vitality of the area’s economy. By promoting, developing and utilizing existing educational materials, programs, courses that pertain to all aspects of the tourism/hospitality industry for university age levels and those already employed in the industry, the Foundation hopes to increase the knowledge base, education and skills of area workers and raise awareness of the tourism/hospitality industry as a viable career path thus ensuring a skilled and knowledgeable workforce.
The Certified Tourism
Ambassador
Program is a nationwide certification
program that serves to increase tourism by training and inspiring front-line hospitality employees and volunteers to work together to turn every visitor encounter into a positive experience.
The premise is simple: If front-line employees and volunteers (those who come into immediate contact with the visitor) provide quality customer service to visitors (convention attendees, tourists, business travelers, etc.), the visitor is more likely to have a positive experience. Visitors who have a positive experience are more likely to return at some point in the future. They will share their perceptions with their friends. Everyone benefits – the tourist, the hospitality industry, the local economy and, most importantly, the front-line ambassador.
was started in 2003. The purpose behind the scholarship is to increase the number of students from the Dallas/Fort Worth region to seek out a career in the tourism industry in hopes that the recipients will become a future leaders in the tourism industry. The scholarship was named in honor of one of its longtime members – Irving L. “Tag” Taggart. Mr. Taggart had been instrumental in the development of the tourism industry both in the Dallas/Fort Worth area but also within the state of Texas for over 30 years.
Mission:
“To increase tourism revenue and visitors through cooperative public/private partnerships; to market the exciting Dallas/Fort Worth/North Texas area as a travel destination; to educate the public on the economic importance of tourism and to provide support on tourism industry issues of concern to the region.”
The Council focuses on the promotion of the DFW area as a leisure destination to growing regional inbound market with heavy concentration on attracting visitors within a 500 mile radius. Today, celebrating 31 years of promoting the region, the Council has grown from our six founding cities and handful of attractions to a member partnership of over 40 cities, in a 32 county area, representing over 150 organizational members in Dallas, Fort Worth & Beyond!
DFWATC is directed by an Executive Committee and Board of Directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
and governed by a constitution and bylaws.
History of the Council
The Council was formed in 1978 and known originally as the North Texas Tourism Council by the cities of ArlingtonArlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...
, Dallas, Fort Worth and Irving
Irving
Irving is originally a Scottish surname, a variant of the name Irvine, which is derived from the eponymous River Irvine inDumfriesshire. It may also refer to:pinguino bailarin-Family name:* Amy Irving , American film and stage actress...
. Within three years, they were joined by the cities of Grapevine
Grapevine
Grapevine is the common name for plants of the genus Vitis. Other meanings include:*Grapevine , a term often used to describe a form of communication by means of gossip or rumor, as in "heard it through the grapevine"...
and Grand Prairie. Formed to jointly market the entire Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
The Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area, a title designated by the U.S. Census as of 2003, encompasses 12 counties within the U.S. state of Texas. The area is divided into two metropolitan divisions: Dallas–Plano–Irving and Fort Worth–Arlington. Residents of the area...
as a single destination, the Council changed its name in the mid-eighties to the Dallas/Fort Worth Area Tourism Council.
During the early years, the Council primarily concentrated on the international market, an area not being addressed by individual members, as well as maintaining members in ABA, NTA and other similar organizations. In 1982, in response to membership requests it shifted direction to address a growing regional inbound market with heavy concentration on attracting visitors within a 300-500 mile radius of the DFW area. While addressing the regional market as a primary target market, the Council also addresses the domestic travel market and international market.
Current activities
By working together cooperatively with its member partners, the Council is able to publish the Official Visitors Guide to the Dallas/Fort Worth Area and maintain its web presence through its web site http://www.dfwandbeyond.com, as well as lead extensive marketing and media efforts to showcase the area to travelTravel
Travel is the movement of people or objects between relatively distant geographical locations. 'Travel' can also include relatively short stays between successive movements.-Etymology:...
consumers, tour and travel planners, travel journalists, and visitors both inbound and during their stay in the DFW area in a variety of ways.
Notable among its strategy are the following:
• Council-sponsored media familiarization tours into the area
• Cooperative advertising through electronic and print media
• Annual distribution of the 400,000 of the Official Visitors Guide
• Press releases to local, regional and national media
• Cooperative participation in travel/consumer shows
• Council sponsored events that reach specialized target market segments
• Individual member opportunities for exposure to the media
In 2009, the Council started its Dallas/Fort Worth Area Tourism Council Foundation to promote educational endeavors to strengthen the North Texas Hospitality & Tourism industry and workforce.
DFWATC Foundation
The Dallas/Fort Worth Area Tourism Council Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization formed to help build the capabilities of the North Texas tourism workforce through education and training.Being a service based industry; a skilled and qualified workforce is vital to the success and future of tourism and the vitality of the area’s economy. By promoting, developing and utilizing existing educational materials, programs, courses that pertain to all aspects of the tourism/hospitality industry for university age levels and those already employed in the industry, the Foundation hopes to increase the knowledge base, education and skills of area workers and raise awareness of the tourism/hospitality industry as a viable career path thus ensuring a skilled and knowledgeable workforce.
CTA (Certified Tourism Ambassador) Program
The DFWATC Foundation is the accredited provider of the CTA program http://www.tourismambassadorinstitute.com/ctaprogram.html in North Texas http://dfwandbeyond.com/site_pages/certified-tourism-ambassador-program. The mission of the North Texas Tourism Ambassadors Program (NTTAP) is to increase tourism by inspiring front-line employees and volunteers to work together to turn every visitor encounter into a positive experience in the North Texas region.The Certified Tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
Program is a nationwide certification
Certification
Certification refers to the confirmation of certain characteristics of an object, person, or organization. This confirmation is often, but not always, provided by some form of external review, education, assessment, or audit...
program that serves to increase tourism by training and inspiring front-line hospitality employees and volunteers to work together to turn every visitor encounter into a positive experience.
The premise is simple: If front-line employees and volunteers (those who come into immediate contact with the visitor) provide quality customer service to visitors (convention attendees, tourists, business travelers, etc.), the visitor is more likely to have a positive experience. Visitors who have a positive experience are more likely to return at some point in the future. They will share their perceptions with their friends. Everyone benefits – the tourist, the hospitality industry, the local economy and, most importantly, the front-line ambassador.
Tag Taggart Scholarship
The Tag Taggart ScholarshipScholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
was started in 2003. The purpose behind the scholarship is to increase the number of students from the Dallas/Fort Worth region to seek out a career in the tourism industry in hopes that the recipients will become a future leaders in the tourism industry. The scholarship was named in honor of one of its longtime members – Irving L. “Tag” Taggart. Mr. Taggart had been instrumental in the development of the tourism industry both in the Dallas/Fort Worth area but also within the state of Texas for over 30 years.
External links
- http://dfwandbeyond.com/
- http://dfwandbeyond.com/
- http://dfwandbeyond.com/site_pages/certified-tourism-ambassador-program
- http://dfwandbeyond.com/client/Scholarship_Information_09.pdf
- http://www.tourtexas.com/dfw/order.cfm
- http://www.visitfrisco.com/press/Pages/THEDALLASFORTWORTHAREANAMEDASONEOFTHETOPTENPLACESINUSFORVALUEVACATIONS.aspx
- http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2008/may/09/dfw-area-tourism-council-releases-thirty-tourism-s/
- http://www.ctanetwork.com/static/index.cfm?contentID=27
- http://money.cnn.com/2009/06/05/smallbusiness/party_down_small_business_makeover.fsb/index.htm
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas%E2%80%93Fort_Worth_Metroplex