To the surprise of many, Houston has emerged as a popular travel destination this spring break.<\/p>\n
Houston First Corporation said it’s been promoting Houston as a spring break spot for years and has teamed up with both American and foreign influencers to do it.<\/p>\n
“We had some in…for the rodeo that had a reach of 20 million people,” Michael Heckman, president and CEO of Houston First, said. “These are just influencers from Mexico that we had in because they love to cover the rodeo.”<\/p>\n
Videos circulating on social media over the last two weekends show parking lots packed with people waiting to get into nightclubs. Others show people emerging from vehicles and dancing in the middle of traffic.<\/p>\n
The increase in new faces around town has been noticeable and has left some business owners taken aback.<\/p>\n
“I never figured us a spring break destination,” Ben Berg said, whose Berg Hospitality Group owns 17 restaurants.<\/p>\n
Berg’s restaurants mainly cater to Houston regulars, but he said they did see a few new customers from out of town the last two weeks.<\/p>\n
“I think it’s been better, but did we see a huge difference? I wouldn’t say so,” Berg said.<\/p>\n
Hotels have seen a far bigger boost.<\/p>\n
Houston First said bookings are up 12 to 15 percent compared to last March’s numbers.<\/p>\n
Despite the uptick in interest, Houston is still up against established spring break hotspots like Miami and South Padre Island.<\/p>\n
However, Houston’s promoters stress it’s not a zero-sum game.<\/p>\n
“I think those destinations do just fine,” Heckman said. “The beaches, I think that they’re all gonna do really well, but some people do want something different.”<\/p>\n
Enter Houston with its nightlife, diverse food scene, and Texas-sized hospitality.<\/p>\n
It not only translates into extra money for Houston businesses, but also more tax revenue for the local government.<\/p>\n
“I think it’d be great if Houston can really pick up and become somewhat of a real urban destination, a city destination, where people want to come travel to during any vacation,” Berg said.<\/p>\n
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