Texas Public Radio | By Brian Kirkpatrick
Published March 14, 2022 at 3:50 PM CDT
Port Aransas is expecting 350,000 Spring Breakers during the month of March. Port A and Mustang Island continue a comeback from 2017’s Hurricane Harvey and the ongoing pandemic.
The president and CEO of the island’s tourism bureau and chamber of commerce Brett Staward said 85% of the island’s accommodations were booked this week. He urges would be visitors to act fast to book vacation space.
Staward said Hurricane Harvey created a new Port A — from tragedy sprang opportunity.
“The thing that Harvey did bring is a rebuild of our entire city. We have almost everything in great condition and brand new condition and we brought in a lot of new growth as a result as well,” he said.
Staward said families make up about 60% of Spring Break visitors, while college students make up 40%. The beaches are off limits to the public at 6 p.m.
College students tend to gather more on South Padre Island farther to the south.
Staward said this will likely be Port A’s busiest week, resulting in more dollars for local motels, restaurants and other beach retailers.
“This week we’re in right now, 80% of the schools in Texas are on Spring Break…along with many of the border states from which a lot of the college kids come, but it is in the millions of dollars of economic impact,” he said.
Texans are not just hitting the road for the coast, but are also headed to other destinations in the state. Gas prices may be higher, but with fewer COVID-19 cases and an almost picture-perfect weather forecast, traffic should be heavy.
The National Weather Service reports Dallas and Houston areas could see some storms or showers this week, while dust storms are possible early in the week in West Texas and El Paso.
The sky will be mostly sunny across the state. Breezy to gusty winds will be common.
If you are headed to the Texas Coast, beach highs will be in the 70s and lower 80s.
Much of the state will see highs in the 60’s and 70s. Slightly cooler highs will be felt in the Panhandle at times, and slightly warmer highs are expected in San Antonio and along the border.