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The new Galveston signs are designed for people who are walking or riding a bike.  They feature maps along with a list of nearby attractions.  Visitors can also use their smart phones to get more specific information.

Park Board Executive Director Kelly de Schaun says many visitors come to Galveston for a specific purpose, such as boarding a cruise ship, and the goal of the signs is to encourage people to stay longer.

"We felt there wasn't a lot of cross-fertilization of folk who would stay longer than a day or two days and really take advantage of the wide variety of amenities and attractions that are here on the island."

Large wayfinding signs have already gone up in Galveston's cruise ship terminal. Plans now call for eight new signs in the downtown historic district. They'll be paid for with parking meter revenues.

de Schaun says they also want to put wayfinding signs on the seawall to direct visitors to things they maybe didn't know about.

"Tourism is really made up of some large stakeholders but some smaller businesses as well that really give the character and the feeling of a destination such as Galveston."

de Schaun hopes all the new signs will be up by summer. Last Memorial Day weekend, Galveston Island drew about a half-million visitors.