Lubbock residents benefit in a number of ways when people visit, one of those being on their property taxes.
Holly Russell, Director of Marketing and Communication for Visit Lubbock, said that when visitors come to Lubbock, they pay an assortment of different taxes which then in turn benefit homeowners.
“Because of the 5.71 million visitors that came to our community in 2014, homeowners saved over $600 on their property taxes,” Russell said.
“When visitors come to our community, they spend a lot of money, $821 million to be exact and we benefit as local homeowners,” she said.
Russell said people visit for a number of reasons.
“We are the hub city of the region, so a lot of people come for medical care, Texas Tech University, sporting events, we are also a very affordable location to visit,” she said.
Russell also added that the American Wind Power Center is set to open a new exhibit in June, as well as some other attractions that are gaining attention for Lubbock.
“We also have the Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts, once that’s online, we already have meeting planners that are asking when that’s going to open because they want to host events here,” Russell said. “Eventually we’ll have the College Baseball Hall of Fame, so we are already seeing the effects of people that are willing to put money down because they see the tourism industry as a viable economic resource.”
“We’re encouraging our local citizens, if they’re involved in an annual convention or event, to encourage hosting that event here, because again it means, it’s a great benefit for local citizens, not only for restaurants, shops, hotels, attractions, but also for homeowners on that property tax savings,” Russell said.
More information about Visit Lubbock can be found on their website VisitLubbock.org.