BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The Rio Grande Valley is hosting several summer athletics events with the Texas Athletic Meet returning to Brownsville, and area businesses are definitely feeling the impact.
Texas Amateur Athletic Association Executive Director Mark Lord said a few weeks ago that about 30,000 people will be visiting the area during the tournament, which means thousands of athletes and their families will call Brownsville home for the next few days.
Several restaurant parking lots in Brownsville are full this weekend and several hotels are also fully booked, including the La Quinta Inn & Suites in Brownsville.
Receptionist Esmeralda Fuentes said she’s seen an even bigger increase in visitor numbers compared to last year.
“To be honest, it feels like it’s a little bigger this year because last year we didn’t have as much capacity,” Fuentes said. “At this point, we’re sold out for the next few days, so it’s going to be a lot bigger, for sure.”
Fuentes said some of the people checking in were families who had been to the area before, and she had spent much of the past few days recommending local spots where tourists could grab a bite to eat.
Fuentes said he told them last week that tourists came here because they knew how busy it would be and didn’t want to make last-minute plans.
