FORT WORTH, Texas — With tourism on the rise nationally and in Texas, the Lone Star state is benefitting from a travel boom.
On Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Greg Abbott traveled to the American Airlines headquarters in North Texas for a fireside chat about the travel industry’s impact on the Lone Star State's economy.
“Travel and tourism is robust and booming in Texas right now,” Abbott said. “Texas works with our businesses to support them to make sure its easier and accessible.”
Abbott credited American Airlines’ 1979 relocation of its headquarters from New York City to Dallas-Fort Worth for the state’s robust travel industry.
A variety of recent sporting and entertainment events have drawn millions of visitors from across the world, including the State Fair of Texas, last weekend’s Texas-OU game, Cowboys games and the Austin City Limits music festival.
Daniel Armbruster, a spokesperson for AAA of Texas, said the state experienced record travel over the summer.
“We see Texas growing, and you see the travel industry trying to keep up with it,” Armbruster said. “That means you need hotels, rental cars, and we have seen periods where it can be tough to find a rental car.”
According to the U.S. Travel Association, visitor spending contributed nearly $95 billion to the Texas economy in 2023.
AAA of Texas anticipates travel to and from the state will continue gaining steam as we head into the travel season, a trend that has continued since the end of the pandemic.
“We see gas prices are down compared to last year, we see booming travel, so I would be shocked if we don’t see another near record Thanksgiving,” Armbruster said.
As Texas sees growth in its travel industry, U.S. Census data shows more people people are moving here, too.
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