The Visit Tyler office is pictured on Nov. 17, 2022 in downtown Tyler.

Visit Tyler, a division of the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce, announced the formation of the Visit Tyler Travel and Tourism Committee, which is made up of a group of travel and tourism related businesses and interested community members, as well as organizations in the city that bring visitors here through special events and other activities. The committee includes the following:

Andy Bergfeld, Bergfeld Realtor Company

Candace Foster, Broadway Square Mall

Steve Marshall, Caldwell Zoo

Mike Hines, Christus Health

Bob Westbrook, East Texas Restaurant Association

Cheryl Sartain, eXp Realty LLC, the Property Shoppe Tyler

Scott Williams, FD’s Grillhouse/Twelve/Javis

Anthony Cortez, Hilton Garden Inn

Lisa Oepkes, Holiday Inn Conference Center

Pat Stacey, KLTV-TV/KTRE-TV

Traci Dixon, True Vine Brewing

Jennifer Hines, Tyler ISD

Beau Hartwig, Tyler Junior College Earth and Space Science Center

Boyd Sanders, Tyler State Park

Brittany Childs, UT Tyler

Non-voting ad hoc members include Megan Riaz, Bethesda Health Clinic and SPORTyler Board of Directors; Henry Bell, Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce; Ed Broussard, City of Tyler; and Stephanie Franklin, City of Tyler.

Diann Bayes, President of Visit Tyler, is excited about the new committee and the contributions they will make to the future of the visitor economy in the city.

“I am thrilled to have such a diverse representation of travel and tourism businesses, as well as interested citizens on the committee,” Bayes said.

“Visitors are important to the city in many ways,” continues Bayes. “In 2022, they contributed more than $352 million in direct travel spending to the travel and tourism businesses throughout the city. To break that down, an average of $966,000 was spent every day by visitors to Tyler last year. More than 3,100 jobs are represented in the travel and tourism industry in Tyler. Visitors coming to Tyler could decide to move their business here, retire here, or move their family here. It all starts with a visit.”

Cheryl Sartain, eXp Realty, LLC, will serve as chair of the committee this year. According to Sartain, “I agreed to chair the committee because I’m not just born and raised here, I’m woven into the fabric of this city. My passion for hospitality fuels my commitment to showcase our beautiful town, leaving a footprint that echoes the warmth and vibrancy of Tyler, Texas. I want to be a go-to source and collaborate with local business leaders to ensure that the world knows the unique charm and spirit that define our community.”

Steve Marshall, President and CEO of Caldwell Zoo, will serve as Vice-Chair of the committee. “It is a real honor for the Caldwell Zoo to have been invited to serve on this newly reorganized committee. Along with the positive direction the community of Tyler is going and with Diann and her staff’s leadership, the Visit Tyler Travel and Tourism Committee will be an important driver of good things to come.”

The organization also hosts a quarterly meeting with businesses in the Visit Tyler Travel and Tourism Alliance. The alliance is made up of businesses interested in the travel and tourism industry in the city. They recently met in downtown Tyler at Liberty Hall to share the importance of visitors with their attendees and to learn from business owners their challenges and opportunities to grow the visitor economy. People interested in learning more about the alliance should reach out to the Visit Tyler staff.

For information on things to see and do in Tyler, go to www.VisitTyler.com.