Chamber promotes tourism in Kilgore
By LESTER MURRAY news2@kilgorenewsherald.com

Mike Coston, president of the Kilgore Chamber of Commerce, said a big part of the Chambers' responsibility is to promote member businesses and the local business community in general.

"Our goal is to help businesses prosper and grow. One of the ways we do this is through travel and tourism," said Coston. "We promote events and attractions in Kilgore which, in turn, will bring those travelers to our city."

Coston said those travelers and tourists, according to internal research and information from the Economic Development Travel and Tourism Division in the office of the Governor, "indicate that for every dollar that is spent on travel and tourism, we gain approximately $10 in local and state tax revenue as a result of travel-related spending."

Texas received $29.89 for every dollar invested in tourism promotion and development, considering both in-state and out-of-state traveler spending. This statewide return on investment was calculated jointly by the Office of the Governor, Economic Development & Tourism, the Texas Commission on the Arts, the Texas Department of Transportation, the Texas Historical Commission, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

"This is why the Chamber fights for the Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT)" said Coston. "Publishing, printing advertising is not cheap and it is everimportant to continue to entice the business, and leisure traveler to Kilgore," said Coston.

With that in mind, the Texas Shakespeare Festival actors pitched in this week to help promote both the upcoming Shakespeare Festival at Kilgore College and the upcoming collegiate baseball summer league.

Actors Aaron White and Shelley Wilson got dressed up so the Kilgore Chamber could film television commercials to promote the East Texas Pumpjacks baseball team playing in Kilgore beginning next Tuesday.

White, from Pennsylvania, and Wilson, from Jacksonville, will perform in the upcoming Shakespeare play, Twelfth Night. White will performing as Aguecheek and Wilson will perform as Orsino.

The Shakespeare Festival is under the direction of John Dodd of Kilgore College. The Festival starts July 3 with tickets already on sale at the ticket office, 1100 Broadway in the Anne Dean Turk Fine Arts Center.