AUSTIN, Texas — The first big festival in over a year is back in Austin this weekend and it’s expected to bring a needed stimulus to the city’s economy.
October could look a lot more like a pre-pandemic month in Austin, Visit Austin President and CEO Tom Noonan said.
In 2018, the Austin City Limits Music Festival generated $264 million in economic activity for Austin. MotoGP racing at Circuit of the Americas on Sunday could generate $80 million in economic activity, Noonan said. And Formula 1 racing is in town later this month.
One of the main things expected to get a boost is hotel occupancy, which Noonan said helps fund arts and parks across the city – two things that are near and dear to the culture of Austin.
“Those things that they love are starting to get some of that collection back that they desperately need in this post-pandemic end of reality where we're at, right? And this delta variant obviously has slowed our recovery,” Noonan said.
Even with the return of these big events, Visit Austin estimates the tourism industry is still lacking up to 20,000 employees working in businesses like restaurants, hotels or rideshare services. Some restaurant partners have told Noonan they are only operating at a level they can staff.
One piece of advice for the busy weekend is to plan ahead and make reservations to prepare for the influx of people. The Austin airport is also expecting some of its busiest days this month for all of the big events, advising travelers to plan accordingly and arrive early.
“It's really kind of what Austin is all about, so I think people really are going to enjoy that,” Noonan said. “You have a couple of great opportunities to kind of feel the mojo of Austin being back this weekend.”
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