Montgomery County’s tourism is heating up
As weather warms and Texas reopens, outdoor events give chance to explore; hotel occupancy in Conroe improving since holidays
Spring break is expected to offer a taste of the tourism boom to come for Montgomery County this spring and summer.
Students in several colleges, as well as Conroe, Montgomery, Willis and Splendora ISDs, were on spring break last week. New Caney ISD has its break in mid-April.
Shannon Overby, director of Conroe’s Convention and Visitors Bureau, said she expects the break to be low-key and geared toward families with an ongoing increased interest in outdoor events.
At the start of the pandemic, Overby said, the Conroe CVB reworked its marketing plan to focus on promoting safe outings. It marketed the area’s outdoor activities such as Lake Conroe, birding, trails, hiking and outdoor festivals.
During summer 2020, she said, it felt like every other call was someone looking to spend time on Lake Conroe.
As the weather turns warmer, and with Texas reopening, outdoor events have offered an opportunity for people to get out and explore while not having to gather in an enclosed space.
Overby said recent outdoor festivals in downtown Conroe, including the Big Top Vintage Market in February, did well.
“Everyone is looking forward to getting out and having some fun. I think they’re ready for it,” Overby said.
She also noted that hotel occupancy numbers have been on the rise since the holidays.
Local hotels had good numbers for February, even with the winter storm, and March is looking positive as well, she said.
Tom Faust, vice president of sales and marketing for Margaritaville Lake Resort Lake Conroe/ Houston, said most of its guests during the relaunched hotel’s first spring break were families.
He said the pools, restaurants, golf course and boat rentals have all been busy.
“People feel good about activities like mini golf, being at the pool, boating or being at the tennis courts,” he said. “Those are all great fun, healthy, family activities.”
He felt like the week offered a good barometer going into the spring and summer. The resort is also preparing on its end, posting up to 150 job openings, he said.
“We’re seeing the demand for future reservations pick up as we get closer to warmer weather,” he said. “Being our first spring break, it felt really good,” Faust said.
The Conroe CVB has a new website and revamped calendar at https://www.visitconroe.com/. Also, https://bit.ly/3vSwj8m offers a list of upcoming events at Margaritaville.