Galveston Park Board of Trustees FY2025 Annual Report

Dear Stakeholders and Partners,

We are pleased to share the Galveston Park Board of Trustees Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25).

This report reflects a year of meaningful progress as we strengthened our operations, welcomed new leaders, and advanced Galveston’s position as a premier coastal destination.

Over the past year, our organization has focused on strengthening Galveston’s position as a premier tourist destination while remaining deeply committed to the residents, local businesses, and hospitality partners who make this island extraordinary. Through thoughtful marketing, responsible destination management, and continued cleaning and protection of our beaches and coastline, we have worked to balance visitor growth with preservation and quality of life.

This annual report highlights key initiatives, financial performance, and measurable outcomes that demonstrate how tourism continues to drive Galveston’s economy and fund essential services and amenities for both residents and visitors. It also underscores our ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability, and data-informed decision-making. As we look ahead, we remain optimistic and energized by the opportunities before us. We will continue working to protect Galveston’s natural beauty, celebrate its rich history and culture, and ensure that tourism remains a positive force for our community.

The Park Board of Trustees of the City of Galveston was created in the Texas State Legislature in 1962. In 1963, the citizens of Galveston voted to approve its existence. The organization is responsible for overseeing Galveston’s tourism efforts and managing Hotel Occupancy Tax funds and beach user fees. As a separate local governmental agency from the City of Galveston, the Park Board receives no property or sales tax to fund the organization and its operations. The board is funded primarily through Hotel Occupancy Taxes and user-generated fees such as parking revenues and special events.

The Park Board of Trustees is comprised of nine volunteer members appointed by the Galveston City Council. Each is required to serve at least two years and must also serve on one of the Park Board’s advisory committees. Park Board meetings are typically held the fourth Tuesday of the month at Park Board Plaza, 601 23rd St. They can also be viewed on the Park Board website, http://www.galvestonparkboard.... and on the Park Board Facebook page.

Funding Sources

Hotel tax - 70%
Park Admissions -21%
Other: 6%
City & County Reimbursements: 2%
Grants: 1%

New Roles

The Park Board welcomed new leaders and expanded roles during FY25. In July, Marty Miles became Interim CEO of the organization. Miles is atenured hospitality and tourism senior executive, serving in roles across the country.

In September 2025, the Galveston Island Beach Patrol named Austin Kirwin as its new Chief. He started working for Beach Patrol in 2006 and was ajunior guard for six years before that, starting when he was ten years old. Austin also serves in the Texas Air National Guard.

Two senior staff members took on expanded roles. Sheryl Rozier was promoted to Executive Director of Coastal Projects and Board Liaison. Inaddition to ensuring beach nourishment, engineering, construction, and recovery projects are completed on budget and schedule, she now serves as the liaison between the Board of Trustees and the Park Board. She also oversees facility maintenance and repairs at Park Board Plaza.Susan Keeble was promoted to Executive Director of People and Planning in addition to human resources, people culture and strategic planning as well as budget management and record retention and Public Information Act requests.

As of October 2025, the Park Board manages R.A. Apffel (East Beach), Stewart Beach and the East End Lagoon. These parks receive no property or sales tax and are funded through user-generated fees. At the end of FY25, the Park Board transferred management of Seawall Urban Park, Seawolf Park, and Dellanera R.V. Park to the City of Galveston. Through its park operations and in accordance with the interlocal agreement between the Park Board
and City of Galveston, during FY25, the Park Board sent $990,000 to the City of Galveston. Through these funds, the City is able to add revenue to their annual budget.

R.A. APFFEL BEACH PARK (EAST BEACH)

The expansive beach on Galveston’s eastern tip is a beachgoer’s paradise with plenty of room for recreation. East Beach features a pavilion
and several food, beverage, chair, and umbrella vendors. It’s the only public beach on Galveston Island at which alcohol is allowed. In addition, East Beach hosts several special events throughout the year, including:
• Gulf Coast Regional Volleyball
• Soccer tournaments
• Galveston Sandcastle Festival
• Free sandcastle lessons
• Artist Boat’s World Ocean Day
• Weddings and corporate events

STEWART BEACH

Stewart Beach is known as Galveston Island’s family beach. With plenty of chair and umbrella rentals, showers, and restrooms, plus the watchful eyes of Galveston’s lifeguards, Stewart Beach is a place where you can spend a few hours or the entire day. The beach welcomes thousands of guests each season. In FY25, Stewart Beach featured the Zoppe Family Circus during March. The event was so popular, the Park Board plans to bring it back for several
more seasons.

EAST END LAGOON

The East End Lagoon is a 684-acre parcel of undeveloped land on Galveston’s eastern tip. The site is home to tidal and nontidal wetlands, a freshwater pond, estuarine marsh, and upland prairie, along with an extensive marine coastline. The site also serves as a habitat for hundreds of bird species, plus a variety of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates. The site features a half-mile, ADA accessible walking trail with interpretive signage along the way and guided nature walks. Kayaking and fishing are also very popular at the nature preserve.

The Galveston Island Beach Patrol team safeguards millions of beachgoers each year, whether keeping a close eye from lifeguard stands or patrolling by truck along the island’s 32 miles of coastline. In addition to daily patrols, the Beach Patrol team members travel to Galveston and Houston-area schools to deliver water safety talks to students. They also coordinate a Junior Guard program aimed at training youth to eventually become adult guards. Another popular program, Wave Watchers, trains citizens to serve as extra sets of eyes and alert the lifeguards when someone is in trouble in the water. Beach Patrol is funded through Hotel Occupancy Tax collections.

As stewards of Galveston’s coastal environment, the Coastal Zone Management team works on the beach’s
front line to keep the shores clean, green, and pristine. From handpicking litter to using specialized equipment
to move marine debris, and assisting wildlife, the CZM team’s work is boundless. This work is made possible
through funding from Hotel Occupancy Tax and contributions from the Texas General Land Office and the City
of Galveston.

TREE DEBRIS

During summer 2025, the CZM team faced a challenge: storms in upstate Texas caused thousands of trees to wash ashore in Galveston, posing a hazard
to beachgoers. The heavy trunks and stumps also posed a hazard to the CZM team removing them. Over the course of several months, the CZM team safely removed over eight million pounds.

WASHED ASHORE

After hosting more than a dozen sculptures at sites throughout Galveston and to raise awareness of plastic pollution along Gulf Coast beaches, the Park Board partnered with Washed Ashore, a Washington-based non-profit, to create a local sculpture that will remind beachgoers of the impact their trash has on coastline ecology. With debris collected from Galveston beaches, Gerte the Reddish Egret is the first Washed Ashore sculpture to be placed outside Washington state and stands as a reminder of the importance of the impact trash has on the marine environment.

LET’S TALK TRASH

The Park Board’s CZM crew, the Environmental Programs Manager, and Beach Maintenance Advisory Committee work to devise initiatives aimed at encouraging beachgoers to keep the island’s beaches free of trash. In 2025, the Park Board hosted a Let’s Talk Trash town hall meeting at the Rosenberg Library. Panelists included Park Board representatives and Karla Klay, Artist Boat Executive Director. More than 50 people attended the event asking
questions and providing input.

As Galveston Island’s official destination marketing organization and a division of the Galveston Park Board, Visit Galveston supports the community and advances the island’s position as a leading year-round destination. Through integrated marketing, public relations, and sales initiatives, Visit Galveston promotes the island’s history, culture, and coastal experiences while strengthening brand awareness. In FY25, Visit Galveston continued efforts to grow pre- and post-cruise travel opportunities and sustained travel trade engagement to broaden our reach across key markets. Guided by responsible stewardship and stakeholder transparency, Visit Galveston, under the Park Board’s leadership, remains committed to sustainable growth that delivers lasting value for residents and local businesses.

Sales

• Sales team secured 84,692 definite room nights, a 3.8% increase over FY24
• Future group business booked in FY25 is expected to generate over $62m in direct spending for Galveston island, on par with FY24 bookings
• Future group business booked in fy25 is expected to welcome more than 145,000 visitors to Galveston island, up 17% from FY24 bookings.
• Conducted over 3,700 meeting planner engagements, up 36% from FY24

Destination Services

• Welcomed over 29,000 travelers to the Visitor Information Center
• Certified 58 new tourism ambassadors
  
• Hosted 12 certified tourism ambassador (cta) local events
• Hosted nearly 500 island advocates at tourism summit in May

Marketing

Owned Media

In FY25, there were over 2.6M active users that visited 8.1M pages at VisitGalveston.com. The average time spent by a user on the site was 1 minute and 34 seconds (50% more than the industry average). With a total audience of over 962,000, the marketing team had over 4.34M engagements on social media in FY25. The net audience across Visit Galveston social media channels increased over 100,000, a 30% increase over FY24.

Paid Media

Utilizing a layered approach to integrated marketing, the team reached over 122M impressions from various digital media placements, like streaming advertisements on services like Hulu, digital banners, social media ad buys and paid search on Google.

Island Soul

120,000 copies of Island Soul distributed to visitors through website requests, at the Visitor Information Center, delivered to all Texas Department of Transportation entry stations and at various lodging locations around the island.

Additionally, copies were requested from all 50U.S. states, 7 U.S. territories, 7 Canadian provinces, Mexico, and several European countries.

Travel Trade

In its inaugural year, Visit Galveston’s Travel Trade initiative built the foundation for long-term leisure revenue by establishing a formal strategy, developing trade-ready tools, and introducing Galveston Island to key domestic and international travel trade operators. Efforts emphasized relationship-building, partner education, and creating the infrastructure needed to support tour operators, wholesalers, cruise-focused sellers, and travel advisors.