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Patricia Moore with Monsignor Frank Kurzaj at the Smithsonian Institution’s Crossroads: Change in Rural America Bandera exhibit.
Photo by Theresa Doyle Nelson
October 21, 2025
Patricia Moore announces retirement from Bandera County Convention and Visitors Bureau
By Jessica Nohealapa’ahi
The Bandera Prophet
As she prepares for her long-awaited retirement, Patricia Moore is looking forward to some well-deserved rest and relaxation. A staple in the county since her arrival in the early 90s, Moore was pivotal in getting Bandera pinned on the map of international tourism.
A hospitality industry veteran, Moore was a member of the Dallas Anatole Hotel opening team in 1979, before moving to Tucson to help open the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in 1984. In 1990, Moore moved to Bandera with dreams of opening a bed and breakfast. She bought the old Horseshoe Inn, and before long realized, “two hands need four.” She joined the Bandera Chamber of Commerce and Bandera County Convention and Visitors Bureau as a board member, eventually applied for the position of executive director, and the rest is history.
“I had this idea to promote Bandera as the Cowboy Capital of the World to museums across the state,” Moore said.
Within a month of launching the campaign, Kelly Scott and his renowned chuckwagon, along with his traveling crew, was hosting cowboy breakfasts at various San Antonio and Houston museums.
“It was a very expensive experiment, but I believe if you bring the product to the people, they will come,” Moore said. “I have been blessed with a board that has gone along with some of my more far-fetched ideas.”
In 2011, Moore was given the Gene Phillips Hospitality Award. Last year, she was honored with the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award from the The Texas Travel Alliance, recognizing her contributions and dedication to the travel and tourism industry in Texas.
Recent notches on her belt include her collaboration with the Bandera County Historical Commission and the Frontier Times Museum to bring the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit to Bandera County, and playing a significant role in establishing Bandera as a state-recognized tourism- and music-friendly city.
“I still haven’t given up goals,” Moore said, surreptitiously avoiding further disclosure with a wink.
Her final day as BCCVB executive director will be Friday, Oct. 31, when she will pass the torch to BCCVB Manager Carita Jundt. A retirement reception will be held Thursday, Nov. 13, at the Bandera Brewery, with a live performance by Dave Kemp. The event, which is open to the public, will begin at 6 p.m.
A hospitality industry veteran, Moore was a member of the Dallas Anatole Hotel opening team in 1979, before moving to Tucson to help open the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in 1984. In 1990, Moore moved to Bandera with dreams of opening a bed and breakfast. She bought the old Horseshoe Inn, and before long realized, “two hands need four.” She joined the Bandera Chamber of Commerce and Bandera County Convention and Visitors Bureau as a board member, eventually applied for the position of executive director, and the rest is history.
“I had this idea to promote Bandera as the Cowboy Capital of the World to museums across the state,” Moore said.
Within a month of launching the campaign, Kelly Scott and his renowned chuckwagon, along with his traveling crew, was hosting cowboy breakfasts at various San Antonio and Houston museums.
“It was a very expensive experiment, but I believe if you bring the product to the people, they will come,” Moore said. “I have been blessed with a board that has gone along with some of my more far-fetched ideas.”
In 2011, Moore was given the Gene Phillips Hospitality Award. Last year, she was honored with the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award from the The Texas Travel Alliance, recognizing her contributions and dedication to the travel and tourism industry in Texas.
Recent notches on her belt include her collaboration with the Bandera County Historical Commission and the Frontier Times Museum to bring the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit to Bandera County, and playing a significant role in establishing Bandera as a state-recognized tourism- and music-friendly city.
“I still haven’t given up goals,” Moore said, surreptitiously avoiding further disclosure with a wink.
Her final day as BCCVB executive director will be Friday, Oct. 31, when she will pass the torch to BCCVB Manager Carita Jundt. A retirement reception will be held Thursday, Nov. 13, at the Bandera Brewery, with a live performance by Dave Kemp. The event, which is open to the public, will begin at 6 p.m.