Destination El Paso joins coalition to promote inclusivity

El Paso is working to stand out as a city that welcomes all. This comes after the state of California banned state-funded employees from traveling to Texas using state funds because of a bill that, according to California, discriminates against LGBT people who wish to adopt.

Destination El Paso has joined the coalition, Texas Welcomes All, to promote and support diverse and inclusive conventions, meetings, sports and tourism markets.

Last month, Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 3859 which allows child placement agencies that receive taxpayer money to claim religious objections to certain groups of people. This means adoption and fostering opportunities could be denied to LGBTQ, single, or non-Christian parents.

Destination El Paso General Manager, Brian Crowe, said the so-called bathroom bill, that will be debated in the upcoming legislative special session may also impact travel to the state.

Especially, if major organizations like the NBA and NCAA choose to boycott the state the way they did with North Carolina when it passed its own bathroom bill.

“We do have concern with legislation that can pass at the state level that can paint Texas as being an unwelcoming community, whether it be for travel, economic development, business and growth,” Crowe said.

Crowe said travel and tourism to El Paso is about a $3 billion dollar impact every year and interstate travel is about 60% of that.

El Paso’s history could shine a positive light on the city inclusivity.

“El Paso was one of the first major cities to desegregate in the 1960’s,” Crowe said.

Destination El Paso reported nearly 1,200 Texas employers, including 41 Fortune 500 companies, 21 Texas chambers of commerce, most of the major airlines and hotels, and many Convention & Visitors Bureaus are all united and agree that legislation like a bathroom bill is a ‘significant economic risk in Texas.’

The group called the potential passage of the bill an unnecessary multi-billion dollar disaster for the Texas economy.