Monica Lopez, Corpus Christi From Caller Times

Hurricane Harvey affected most of the Coastal Bend, but it didn’t stop the Texas State Aquarium from having a record year.

The aquarium saw 598,233 guests during 2017 — a 15 percent increase from the previous year — and also had a $63.3 million economic impact on the Corpus Christi area, a news release states.

These are the aquarium’s highest reported numbers for both attendance and economic impact since its grand opening in 1990.

The economic impact was determined through a study by economic consulting and research firm Impact DataSource. Through providing hundreds of jobs and welcoming more than half a million visitors, the aquarium provided a significant boost to the regional economy, the release states.

The Impact DataSource report found that nearly a third of the 2017 visitors were drawn to Corpus Christi specifically by the aquarium.

In 2017, the aquarium supported 883 area job and salaries of $21.9 million.

Tourist activity resulting from the aquarium also supported 564 jobs at local businesses, the release reads.

The aquarium’s economic contributions also include $38.4 million in annual taxable retail sales from out-of-town visitors and more than $9.5 million in annual rooms rented at local hotels and motels, the release states.

Aquarium employees, workers and visitors generated more than $4.6 million in annual revenue for the city of Corpus Christi, Nueces County and other local taxing districts.

Texas State Aquarium President & CEO Tom Schmid said the attendance and economic boost was driven largely by the Caribbean Journey, the aquarium’s new $60 million building, which opened May 13, 2017.

One of the largest parts of the expansion is the 400,000-gallon H-E-B Caribbean Sea Shark exhibit. A 68-foot tunnel display window, the largest in North America, brings visitors face-to-glass with a number of shark species. The exhibit also includes a life-size replica of a shipwreck that hosts barracudas, stingrays and a green sea turtle or two, according to a news release.

While Hurricane Harvey’s landfall in August 2017 led to a drop in tourism in the Coastal Bend, the aquarium was able to quickly reopen after the storm.

“We had an incredible summer with the grand opening of Caribbean Journey,” Schmid said. “Attendance shot up in May, and continued to stay strong until Aug, 25 when Harvey hit. The hurricane and its aftermath decimated tourism throughout our region. The only silver lining was that Harvey hit toward the end of the summer. Despite the storm, 2017 was still the busiest year for the aquarium since grand opening.”

IMAGES:

Willow smiles at her mother, Kendra Hickman, while looking at flamingos Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, at the Texas State Aquarium after Hurricane Harvey. (Photo: Yfat Yossifor/USA Today Network)

Students from Rosita Valley Elementary School in Eagle Pass view the dolphin exhibit from the underwater viewing area at the Texas State Aquarium. (Photo: Michelle Christenson/Caller-Times)

Visitors to the Texas State Aquarium check out flamingos during the grand opening of the Caribbean Journey expansion Saturday, May 13, 2017. (Photo: Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times, Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times)

For more on this story go to: http://www.caller.com/story/news/local/2018/01/30/texas-state-aquarium-posts-record-year-attendance-economic-impact/1080131001/