The Houston and District Chamber of Commerce will continue to provide tourism and economic development services through contracts with the District of Houston.
The two current contracts run out the end of this year and the new ones are for three years, beginning Jan. 1, 2020.
Costs will rise, from $78,000 a year for the current economic development services contract to $81,263 a year under the new one and from $70,750 a year for the current tourism services contract to $71,980 for the new one.
The current tourism services contract was first set at $64,000 a year but that was increased to $70,750 for 2019 to pay for additional year-round staffing at the visitor’s centre.
Terms of the tourism services contract include having the visitor’s centre open year round to the public for a minimum 35 hours a week during normal business hours.
Other terms will have the chamber publishing ads in various media outlets and on platforms to promote tourism in Houston, subject to agreement with the District of Houston.
The chamber will also conduct research on various tourism topics and provide brochures and promotional literatre.
And the chamber agrees to coordinate various public events as well as the annual holiday Light Up event.
There’s also an area promotion component to the contract regarding economic development inasmuch as the chamber will work to attract businesses to Houston.
According to contract specifications, the chamber will also identify areas of economic development, act as a liaison with local organizations, businesses and individuals and representatives of of First Nations, business and industry concerning economic development.
The chamber is also expected to represent Houston at conferences, seminars and events concerned with economic development.
The chamber has been the District’s economic development services provider since 1997 and, more recently, it’s tourism services provider.