{"id":660790,"date":"2026-03-17T00:01:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T00:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/660790\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T00:01:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T00:01:13","slug":"houston-businesses-welcome-spring-break-crowds-despite-online-calls-for-visitors-to-stay-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/660790\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston businesses welcome spring break crowds despite online calls for visitors to stay away"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><strong>HOUSTON<\/strong> \u2013 Spring Break is bringing an influx of visitors to Houston and for many businesses, that means a much-needed boost.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Owners of Peachez, a bar and lounge in Houston\u2019s Third Ward, say they\u2019ve seen a steady stream of out-of-town visitors over the past week.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\"\/><\/ul>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cAt the end of the day, tourism dollars stimulate the economy, especially in this industry,\u201d said co-owner Carlitta Whitley. Her business partner, Clayton Edwards, says those visitors play a major role in the local economy during this time of year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cUs as Houstonians, we tend to go out every now and then,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cBut these people are coming out in the droves and the masses ready to eat, drink, have fun and spend their spring break with us in Houston.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><b>Tourism dollars fuel local economy<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Whitley says the hospitality industry depends heavily on tourism dollars especially during major events like Spring Break, the rodeo, World Baseball Classic, and other large gatherings across the city. She described the spring travel season as a critical time for restaurants, bars and nightlife businesses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cIf you work in this industry, it\u2019s stacking season,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is when you make your money to float you through the colder season.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Edwards said the revenue businesses generate now can help sustain them for months.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\"\/><\/ul>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cWhat we\u2019re going to do in the next four to six months will set us up for the third and fourth quarter to get us back here next year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Despite the economic boost, some social media posts have recently called for spring break visitors to stay away from Houston following a tense weekend.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Still, he hopes Houston continues to welcome visitors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cI want to welcome them back every year,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cI want us to be one of the destinations people come to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">KPRC 2 News asked John Whitmire about concerns stemming from the weekend\u2019s incidents and what steps the city may take as more visitors arrive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The mayor did not directly respond to the question, saying he was focused on other work and calling the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo \u201cone of our greatest assets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\"><b>Houston tourism expected to surge<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Tourism officials say the city is continuing to attract visitors at a strong pace.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Michael Heckman, CEO of Houston First Corporation, said hotel bookings are expected to climb significantly compared to last year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cWe\u2019re seeing around a 12 to 15 percent increase year over year,\u201d Heckman said. \u201cThat could make this one of the best Marches we\u2019ve ever had from a hotel perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n<ul class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 kDvXdO font_openSans articleList\">\n<li class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__StackBase-sc-1fnzlkn-7 ecGWWE iQviKm\"\/><\/ul>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">Houston\u2019s busy events calendar including the rodeo, spring break travel and major sporting events is helping drive the surge.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">The city is also preparing for an even larger influx of visitors ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cIt\u2019s a total citywide effort,\u201d Heckman said. \u201cThe host committee, the sports authority, the city and the county, it\u2019s really all hands on deck for an event of that scale.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">For business owners like Edwards and Whitley, the message to spring break travelers is simple.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dist__Box-sc-1fnzlkn-0 dist__TextBase-sc-1fnzlkn-3 bYFsJw cuqaEv article-text\">\u201cStop saying don\u2019t come,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cPeople in this industry: waiters, bartenders, busboys, cooks, chefs, we want tourists here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston &#8211; All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HOUSTON \u2013 Spring Break is bringing an influx of visitors to Houston and for many businesses, that means&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":660791,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5130],"tags":[4345,279724,112794,279725,26569,109648,271169,358,279726,3187],"class_list":{"0":"post-660790","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston","8":"tag-houston","9":"tag-houston-2026-fifa-world-cup","10":"tag-houston-events","11":"tag-houston-events-march","12":"tag-houston-first-corporation","13":"tag-houston-livestock-show-and-rodeo","14":"tag-houston-spring-break","15":"tag-texas","16":"tag-tourism-dollars","17":"tag-tx"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116241582346739223","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=660790"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660790\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/660791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=660790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=660790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=660790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}