The winter Texan season has arrived, and so have travelers from Canada with border crossings and COVID-19 restrictions removed. The season is expected to exceed the previous year, as per experts.
Kristi Collier, the owner of Welcome Home RGV, provides information to Winter Texans and local businesses that accommodate them, like RV parks.
She claimed that last year saw about 50 percent fewer Winter Texans due to the pandemic. However, the situation has changed this year.
“Typically, the season starts November 1st, but we had people coming as early as the end of August, firsts of September,” Collier shared.
She also said that Canadian travelers are an essential element of the holiday season.
“We were really worried about the Canadians not being able to come this year because some of our parks are at 70, 80, some even 90 percent Canadians,” she explained.
Collier claimed that she’s received phone calls from Canadian friends who explained that the process of crossing into America was not long.
Winter Texans are a major factor in the economy every year, Collier said.
“UTRGV does a survey every couple of years, and they estimate that we have 100,000 Winter Texans that come to our area and that they spend each season, $700,000. That’s the economic impact,” she said.
The impact directly affects RV Parks within the region as well. Kenwood RV Resort, located in La Feria, is home to many winter tourists.
“We are so excited this year because last year was quieter, we missed our Kenwood family, you know not many people were ready to travel,” said property manager of Kenwood RV Resort, Rosie Cabrera.
She added that the resort has been receiving calls from guests since summer, asking about reservations for this season.
The resort will be offering additional activities this year. It will have more of a normal season than the previous year, which was limited because of the pandemic.
“We are excited about all the activities and for everything that we were missing last year. We miss them, and we’re ready for them,” she said.