George Strait visited Rockport with Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott after Hurricane Harvey devastated the town in August 2017. He owns a second home there and will be helping the community in a campaign to bring back tourists. Courtesy photo
Rockport’s most famous homeowner, country music legend George Strait, will be part of Rockport’s new “Comeback Campaign” to reboot tourism in the area after it was devastated by Hurricane Harvey last year. In an TV commercial to be aired across the state, Strait’s song “Back to Being Me” will play as he provides the voiceover.
Rockport, Fulton, and Port Aransas took the brunt of Harvey’s Category 4 winds after the storm came ashore Aug. 25, 2017. Seven months later, the communities are still rebuilding and preparing for summer crowds.
Tourism fuels the economy in the area. Before the storm, Rockport was bringing in about $101.1 million annually from tourist dollars. According to figures released at a workshop during which the advertising campaign was introduced, tourism in Aransas County employs more than 1,300 people and contributes $1.4 million to local government budgets. The state government receives about $5 million a year.
The George Strait TV commercial is geared around an almost sacred connection people feel for the area, whether they live there or are just visiting.
“The creative aspect of the campaign reveals the feeling in all of us as we describe the mystical, spiritual affections we have for the Rockport-Fulton area,” said Paula Dean, chair of the Tourism Development Council of the Rockport-Fulton Chamber of Commerce.
The commercial is being created by marketing and advertising company ICF, which is doing the work free of charge. ICF also helped New Orleans recover from Hurricane Katrina, which hit the city in 2005, and New York and New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
Gov. Gregg Abbott made a video appearance at the “Comeback Campaign” workshop to show his support.
"You have a governor who has your back throughout this entire process," Abbott said in the video. "I've been (in Rockport) countless times already, and I will continue to work with local officials and business leaders to get the Rockport-Fulton economy right back on track."
