NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas – Triple-digit heat is eating up earning goals for businesses that depend on summer tourism.
The City of New Braunfels is heavily dependent on tourism each summer.
In 2022, the New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce tracked a record-breaking year, says CEO and President Jonathan Packer.
“Up until spring break [2023], we were matching record-breaking numbers for last year,” Packer said.
But then hotel stays started dwindling, he said. So far, they’re seeing a 3% to 4% occupancy rate drop from last year, but given that it was a record-breaking year, it’s still a good summer, according to Packer.
“It’s still been a busy summer, just not as busy as it can be when the weather’s a little more favorable,” he said.
Business owners Jennifer and Dennis Wilson say summer weekends are still busy, but they have noticed smaller crowds. They say many of their bookings have been last minute.
“We booked three rooms in the last 24 hours,” she said at the start of Labor Day Weekend.
They are looking for a turn in the weather pattern to bring back visitors.
“I think the colder weather is obviously going to be just a natural helper,” she said.
Fall events, parades, and festival crowds will hopefully make up for a slower-than-normal summer.
“We’ve been in it in town for 20 years or so. So we’ve seen it up and down, and I’ve given up on trying to predict,” Dennis Wilson said.