Making Dallas a tourist destination
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Could Dallas be a top tourist destination someday? Photo: Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images
Dallas has a branding problem. Of the 27 million visitors to the city last year, 80% were attending a meeting or convention, not because they chose it as a tourist destination.
Why it matters: Dallas is still best known for two things: the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the long-running primetime soap opera that had everyone in the 1980s asking "Who shot J.R.?"
- But millions of visitors for the 2026 FIFA World Cup may give the city a chance to update its image.
The big picture: Visitors spend a lot — about $6.6 billion a year — staying at hotels and going out in Dallas.
- That creates $626 million in state and local tax revenue, according to Visit Dallas, the nonprofit organization tasked with promoting the city
- The city is planning to use tourism tax dollars to pay for its new convention center, which city leaders expect to reshape downtown.
Reality check: When people think of a U.S. city to visit, they likely don't consider Dallas. Why would they when there's Chicago with its beautiful summers, music festivals and river boat tours?
- Or Boston, the birthplace of America? Or New Orleans with Bourbon Street and jazz? Or San Francisco with the Golden Gate Bridge and nearby Napa Valley?
- Or Philly with cheesesteaks and a broken bell?
State of play: Visit Dallas is trying to show potential visitors that Dallas has a lot to offer, including our shopping, dining and arts culture.
- Dallas now has a Michelin star and many restaurants recognized in Michelin's first Texas guide. And, the Dallas Arts District has been named the best in the country for two years in a row by USA Today.
What they're saying: People know Dallas. That's not the problem. The problem is getting to see the city as something more than a 1980s stereotype.
- "We need to tell the Dallas story today and update the narrative above and beyond just barbecue and Tex-Mex," Visit Dallas chief marketing officer Jennifer Walker tells Axios.