The demographics of Winter Texans are changing and professionals in the tourism and hospitality industries are calling for more frequent studies and research into this vital group of visitors with deep connections to the Rio Grande Valley. 

Leah Woolridge, the vice president of Visit McAllen, sees an age shift among Winter Texans. Retirees are younger, more active and looking for things to do, she said.

“You use to be able to tell a Winter Texan from a mile away,” Woolridge said. “They wore name tags and enjoyed traditional Winter Texan activities like square dancing. The new demographic isn’t spending as much time in the RV parks. They’re wanting to get out and about and are not into the same traditional activities.”

In Mission, the president and chief executive officer of the local chamber says Winter Texans in their 60s can be seen at a popular brewery, enjoying craft beers and having the means to pay for higher-priced products. The Mission Chamber’s Brenda Enriquez speaks of some residential living shifts from RV parks to Airbnbs. She also cites a decline in Winter Texans from Canada as another trend that needs further study.

It leads her to ask, “What do Winter Texans look like these days?”

Studying Trends

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and its related business departments and centers have done a number of Winter Texan studies over the years.

These studies have historically taken place periodically, such as in three-to-four-year intervals. The university’s Business and Tourism Center per its website says the last Winter Texan study its staff conducted was during the 2022-23 tourist season. Prior to that report, the most recent research study done by that office was conducted in 2017-18. 

Welcome Home RGV – a multiplatform company dedicated to the Winter Texan industry – conducted a major tourism study in 2022 in conjunction with the UTRGV Department of Data and Information Systems. At that time, Kristi Collier, the chief executive officer of Welcome Home RGV, expressed concern about declining Winter Texan visitor numbers.

She also indicated that for all of many years Winter Texans have been coming to the Valley that much about their economic impact is still not fully understood. Collier said, for example, that 73 percent of Winter Texans receive visits from family members and those visitors stay at area hotels. And when Winter Texans visit South Padre Island, 42 percent of them stay at hotels in providing a boost in business for SPI hotels during leaner traffic months. 

More Collaboration Needed

Collier’s point is that Winter Texans are major economic drivers for area hotels, which many local residents may not realize. This sort of information in a tourism industry changing by the year can help area chambers and visitors’ offices in devising new strategies and marketing campaigns. Mission Chamber CEO Enriquez sees the need for collaboration among Valley tourism interests in more frequent updates regarding the Winter Texan market.

“We could invest regionally with other chambers in developing community profiles of RV parks,” Enriquez said. “What are their populations and incomes? Time flies. We need more research.”

‘Keep Our Charm’

Mission has largely kept its profile as the RGV city with the most Winter Texans.

Enriquez says her city has 47 RV parks and a peak months Winter Texan population of about 50,000 Winter Texans. The city hosts an annual Winter Texan Fiesta that attracts thousands of enthusiasts from Mission and around the Valley. The celebration is a way to say thank you to the tourists who are so vital to the region’s economy.

In neighboring McAllen, the Winter Texan focus isn’t on having RV parks but on events and entertainment that brings the tourists to Hidalgo County’s largest city. McAllen has developed an extensive portfolio of events. They range from its huge Christmas in the RGV parade down Bicentennial Boulevard to MXLAN, a three-day art and musical festival celebrating Latino culture.

There’s also the draw of the Quinta Mazatlan with its nature center and birdwatching. The center’s activities are popular with the winter visitors as well as local residents. 

“McAllen has become the destination for shopping, dining and festivals,” Visit McAllen’s Wooldridge said. 

Mission’s Enriquez is confident of the Valley’s ability to continue to draw Winter Texans with its weather and lower cost of living than is seen in Arizona and Florida.

“We need to keep our charm,” Enriquez said. “I feel like we have a lot to offer beyond our cost of living.”