A growing number of U.S. overnight visitors to Houston are coming from outside of Texas and staying in the area longer, a possible indication of the city’s expanding reach as a destination.
New survey data compiled by research group Longwoods International shows 58% of domestic overnight travelers to Houston last year reside outside of the Lone Star State. Other states of origin for visitors to the region include California, Louisiana, New York and Florida, the survey found.
More than three-quarters of overnight visitors to Houston surveyed say they spent their entire trip in the area and the number of respondents who said they stayed in Houston three or more nights increased 7% in 2024 compared to the prior year.
Asked about the main reason for their trip, a little less than half of Houston overnight visitors said it was to visit friends and family (48%, down from 52% a year ago). Among those who said they were visiting friends and relatives, only 22% said they were staying with those relations or in unpaid accommodations, an indication that most of these travelers are behaving like typical leisure visitors and staying in hotels and comparable accommodations.
Other top reasons for travel include touring (9%), a business trip (7%), a special event such as a concert or festival (7%) and a general city trip (7%).
Among specific origin markets for overnight visitors, about 15% came from elsewhere in the Houston metro region (down from 17% a year earlier). Visitors from Dallas-Fort Worth came in at 11%, followed by New York at 6% and Los Angeles at 4%.
Among the major activities overnight travelers said they engaged in while they were in Houston:
- Shopping – 31%
- Sporting activities – 29%
- Bar/nightclub – 19%
- Sightseeing – 19%
- Museum – 15%
- Business meeting – 12%
- Landmark/historic site – 12%
- Zoo – 11%
When it comes to the tools folks are using to plan their trip to Houston, a growing number are turning to social media. About 16% said they were using social platforms to research and plan their trip—that’s up 3% from the previous year and 4% over the U.S. norm according to Longwoods. Advice from friends and relatives also ranked high at 17%, on par with the U.S. norm.
While 67% of visitors said they were very satisfied with their overall trip experience, several specific areas also got high marks, including quality of food (64% reported a very positive experience), quality of accommodations (61%), the friendliness of the people (58%) and music/entertainment, and nightlife (57%).
The wide-ranging survey is part of a national study conducted by Longwoods on behalf of U.S. tourism clients.
Written by A.J. Mistretta
