The Texas State Aquarium has added more than half a billion dollars to the local economy over the past 10 years.
According to a recent study from an Austin-based economic research fund, jobs and tourism resulting from the aquarium’s operations had a more than $560 million economic impact on the Corpus Christi area since 2009.
In 2018 alone, TSA made a $90 million economic impact on the community, attracting 530,950 visitors, with an estimated 401,295 coming from out of town.
The aquarium says drawing out-of-town visitors to the area is a major contributor to their economic impact.
“Tourism and leisure travel continue to be a major driver of our local economy, and I’m pleased that the Texas State Aquarium can play a meaningful role in helping our region prosper,” said Tom Schmid, President & CEO. “Taxes generated as a result of our activity help the city, the county, Corpus Christi Independent school district, and Del Mar College.”
The aquarium says that through its employees, patronage of local vendors, and its boosting of the local tourism industry, it supported an average of 762 jobs each year in the community and more than $168 million in salaries over 10 years.
Economic activities supported by the Texas State Aquarium also contributed more than $41 million to all local taxing districts and upwards of $338 million in taxable sales over the same period.
The report was developed by economic consulting and research firm Impact DataSource and analyzed the Aquarium’s impact on the regional economy through Aquarium visitors and employees, indirect labor, and visitor-created jobs, as well as the Aquarium’s contributions to local taxing districts.
