Wet 'N' Mild: Businesses worry about drop in turnout this Spring Break

Wanna Wanna hotel manager James Gardner's boss warned him about Spring Break at the start of his job last month.

Expect a huge crowd.

Expect a horrible crowd.

Get ready.

But "it's been nothing like I expected," Gardner said.

Fewer spring breakers have shown up at the beach-front property than anticipated, he said.

Wanna Wanna is not alone.

Hotels across South Padre Island are registering occupancy as low as 30 percent to 40 percent, said Richard Franke Sr., president of the town's economic development corporation. This time last year, they would have been nearly booked solid.

"I don't know whether that's a trend we're going to start to see, where kids have a lot more options of other places to go," Franke said. "Probably it will be."

Last year, the Island entertained between 80,000 and 85,000 visitors during the month of March, according to estimates from the South Padre Island Convention and Visitors Bureau. This year's estimates won't be available until the end of the month.

And it's also too early to see whether Spring Break traffic from Valley-International Airport in Harlingen is down, though Minneapolis-based Sun Country Airlines actually added additional service to Harlingen this season.

SPI visitors' bureau spokeswoman Melissa Zamora said there were some concerns about low turnout earlier this month, but the crowds seem to have picked up. She also anticipates visitors who come later this month for Semana Santa will make up for any drop in the number of spring breakers.

"Don't know"

Texas Week was a bit earlier this year than in seasons past, but many area schools Spring Break vacations are scheduled for next week, right along with Semana Santa.

Even if attendance does pick up, though, it will almost certainly be a dip from Spring Break's local heyday 10 to 15 years ago, when 100,000 people sometimes showed up.

While the days of those giant crowds may be over, that's not necessarily a bad thing, Frankie said. Since some on the Island try to cater to a more affluent audience, the Spring Break reputation may not actually help, he said.

Still, big businesses on the Island rake in a lot of cash and sales from Spring Breakers.

Zamora said each visiting student spends an estimated $230 during their vacation, or $20 million in annual economic impact.

Any dent in that would be detrimental to local business owners, said Lillian Perez, a bartender at Kelly's Irish Pub.
"It means less money for all the businesses," Perez said. "The whole place suffers."

Lisa Leal, manager of Padre South Hotel - which is only 50 percent full - speculated some students may be staying away from the Island this year because of concerns with border violence and rising gas prices.

Others have suggested local law enforcement's increased patrol during Spring Break and the availability of cheap trips to Mexico resorts could have also deterred students elsewhere.

"We just don't know for sure," Leal said.

"Hope"

Many businesses, including Wanna Wanna and Padre South, expect business to pick up today (Thursday), just in time for a long weekend.

"They used to come down for a week," said Chris Kobel, owner of Coral Reef Lounge. "Now, they come on Wednesday and stay until Saturday. That's the word on the Island."

If shorter stays are the trend this year, it's not just a local phenomenon.

Since online travel agency Travelocity began tracking bookings six years ago, the duration of Spring Break trips has gradually shortened, according to USA Today. Now, for the first time, the average Spring Break trip has dropped to less than five days.

Mike McNamara, who's lived on the Island for 20 years, said he's seen Spring Break "go from nothing, to a major attraction and back down to nothing again."

During the local Spring Break heyday, college students would pitch tents on the beach and party late into the night, McNamara said. Headliners like Stevie Ray Vaughn would perform to huge crowds, and beer and cigarette companies would promote big events.

"It was absolute madness," said McNamara, a criminal defense attorney. "Those days are gone. Last week was nothing. This week has few people and next week is nothing either."

Ben Khajeh, who owns several liquor stores on the Island and has tallied as much as 50 percent less in sales this Spring Break season, said he is looking forward to the end of this week and later this month.
"I'm sure it picks up," Khajeh said. "I hope."
_____
Ryan Holeywell covers PSJA and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4446.