Visit College Station wins two statewide tourism awards

Visit College Station won two Destination Excellence Awards at the 2026 Destinations Texas Annual Conference, including honors for its leisure marketing campaign and a spring sports tourism push. The wins spotlight the destination’s effort to drive visitor spending, hotel nights and broader brand awareness across College Station.

Why it matters: - The awards recognize tourism work that helps fill hotels, drive restaurant and retail spending, and support local jobs. - Visit College Station’s wins also reinforce the city’s push to market itself as more than a university town. - The recognition comes from Destinations Texas, the state trade group that honors destination marketing and promotion each year.

What happened: - Visit College Station received two Destination Excellence Awards at the 2026 Destinations Texas Annual Conference, held Sept. 2-4. - The organization won Best Leisure Tourism Campaign in the DMO category with budgets over $3 million. - Visit College Station also won Best Sports Tourism Promotion.

The details: - The leisure award went to “Learn Why You’ll Love It Here,” a campaign built around a college-course creative concept tied to Aggieland. - The campaign expanded across leisure, sales and sports audiences. - Visit College Station said the effort increased destination brand awareness beyond the city’s university association. - The campaign also drove gains in awareness and engagement across web, social, paid media and public relations. - The sports tourism award recognized work to bring three marquee events to College Station within five weeks in spring and early summer 2026. - The events were the Savannah Bananas at Kyle Field, Argentina vs. Honduras in a “Road to 26” match, and the USATF Lone Star Grand Prix at E.B. Cushing Stadium. - The three events drew more than 190,000 combined attendees. - The events generated an estimated $33.5 million in direct economic impact. - The events also produced nearly 2,900 news articles worldwide and an estimated $146.56 million in advertising value equivalency. - Visit College Station’s sales and marketing teams worked with Texas A&M University and event organizers to plan, fund and promote the sports events.

Between the lines: - The leisure award suggests College Station’s marketing strategy is trying to broaden its appeal beyond campus-driven travel. - The sports award shows how large one-off events can quickly create measurable economic and media returns for a destination. - Destinations Texas president and CEO Kathleen Davis said the real measure of the work is when a community gets busier, hotels stay full and local businesses make payroll. - Assistant Director of Tourism Jeremiah Cook said the awards reflect a team effort and community partnerships, including Texas A&M.

What's next: - Visit College Station is likely to keep using the award-winning campaign and sports-event strategy to compete for more visitors and events. - The organization will continue promoting College Station as a weekend destination and as home to Texas A&M, the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, and other attractions. - Visit College Station directs travelers to Plan your trip for more information.

The bottom line: - College Station’s tourism strategy is paying off in both brand recognition and measurable economic impact.