Dallas/Fort Worth Area Tourism Council Foundation

The Dallas/Fort Worth Area Tourism Council has formed a separate but affiliated, not-for-profit 501c(3) organization to conduct and provide visitor industry education and to prepare future industry leaders by providing scholarships through the Tag Taggart Scholarship program to students enrolled in the hospitality/tourism industry.

Tag Taggart Scholarship

The Tag Taggart Scholarship was started in 2003. The purpose behind the scholarship is to increase the number of students from the Dallas/Fort Worth region to seek out a career in the tourism industry in hopes that the recipients will become a future leaders in the tourism industry. The scholarship was named in honor of one of its longtime members – Irving L. “Tag” Taggart. Mr. Taggart had been instrumental in the development of the tourism industry both in the Dallas/Fort Worth area but also within the state of Texas for over 30 years.

Scholarship Amount: Varied

Submission Deadline: TBD for 2008

Award Date: TBD for 2008

For guidelines, eligibility and to download application: coming soon

Certified Tourism Ambassador Program (CTA)

This is nationwide certification program for front-line hospitality workers but can pertain to all workers employed in the industry as well as to university age level students interested in going into this field. The program’s oversight is through the Tourism Ambassador Institute.

We are proud to announce the inception of a very important new program, the Dallas/Fort Worth Area Tourism Ambassadors Program. The Dallas/Fort Worth Area Tourism Council has partnered with area CVB’s, DFW International Airport, the North Texas Council of Governments and the Hotel Association of Greater Dallas to bring this exciting new certification program to the North Texas region. The program strives to inspire and motivate our front-line employees and volunteers to turn every visitor encounter into a positive experience.

The program helps employees increase their knowledge of the region; provides answers to the wide variety of questions employees receive from visitors; and ensures that they understand their role in increasing tourism in the DFW region.

Enhancing the visitor experience leads to more frequent visits and better word of mouth marketing about our region. In addition, it builds upon our positive destination brand image and can ultimately increase the economic impact of tourism.

We look forward to the opportunity to bring a new level of guest service to our communities and help promote our destination as not only one of the best, but one with the highest commitment to our visitors.

The DFWATC has been chosen as the Accredited Provider of the program. The Dallas/Fort Worth Area Tourism Ambassadors Program will launch in April 2009.