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After 13 years leading Visit Fort Worth, President and CEO Bob Jameson will retire April 30, capping a tenure during which the city’s visitor economy doubled and tourism became a central pillar of Fort Worth’s economic development strategy.
Bob Jameson
The organization said Tuesday that a national search will be conducted to identify his successor.
Jameson, who previously led the Worthington Renaissance Hotel for nearly three decades, is credited with transforming the city’s convention and visitors bureau into a broad-based destination marketing organization. Under his leadership, Visit Fort Worth launched the Fort Worth Sports Commission, Hear Fort Worth music office, the Fort Worth Film Commission and the Fort Worth Tourism Public Improvement District, while expanding convention sales and services and support for the Fort Worth Herd.
The impact shows up across key indicators. Over the past decade, Fort Worth’s tourism economy grew to a $3.6 billion annual impact, visitor counts rose to more than 11.7 million, hospitality employment doubled to about 30,000 jobs, and direct visitor spending reached a record $3 billion, generating $287 million in state and local taxes.
“Bob Jameson has had immeasurable impact on Fort Worth’s visitor tourism success over the past 13 years,” said Mayor Mattie Parker in a statement. “He is truly one of Fort Worth's best ambassadors and I’m thrilled for him in his next chapter of retirement.”
Visit Fort Worth Board Chair Susan Alanis said the organization is “extremely grateful” for Jameson’s leadership and legacy, adding that his “wisdom, vision and philosophies will continue to inspire colleagues across the travel and tourism industry.”
In recent years, Fort Worth was named the No. 1 convention city by Conference Direct, a top city for sports destinations without a Power Five team by Sports ETA, and a top 20 city for filmmakers by MovieMaker Magazine. The city also earned “music-friendly” certification from the Texas Music Office and landed on “best of” lists from Travel + Leisure, Good Housekeeping and Afar.
Jameson also emphasized inclusion and community grounding, supporting events tied to Hispanic Heritage Month and Juneteenth, as well as new music festivals and cowboy gatherings. Visit Fort Worth and the Tourism PID contribute more than $1 million annually to local arts and cultural festivals.
“This has been the joy of my life,” Jameson said. “Tourism is important for our economy and our national visibility and must be grounded in our community for the benefit of our residents. I am incredibly proud of our Visit Fort Worth team and the many, many local partners who work together to make Fort Worth better through tourism."
A California native, Jameson began his hospitality career with Marriott International in 1977 and later led the Worthington Renaissance in Fort Worth for 28 years. He and his wife, Anne Milder Jameson, have four children.