As the spring break season descends upon Port Aransas, local businesses are preparing to welcome a surge of tourists. Jennifer De La Garza, manager of Port “A” Creamery, emphasizes the significance of this time for small businesses in the area. She notes that spring break and summer are crucial periods for their economic prosperity, with each year showing improvement since the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This boosts our economy,” De La Garza stated. “This is what we wait for every year – for Spring Break and summer to happen. It is where we thrive off of these times.” She also observes that Port Aransas has gained popularity over the years, resulting in larger and more diverse crowds flocking to the area during spring break.
Adjacent to Port “A” Creamery stands Port “A” Carts, owned by Trey Smiley. Smiley points out the increasing demand for rental carts as the town attracts more visitors annually. “In the beginning, there was just a handful of cart companies. I’d say maybe 200 tops on the island of the number of carts that we had. We were always sold out. There were just people wanting more, so in the last five years, we’ve expanded it. We now have 27 cart companies on this island,” Smiley remarked, highlighting the growth in the rental business.
At Bron’s Beach Carts and Backyard, Operations Director Jimmy Jam reflects on the unmistakable signs of the spring break influx, notably the heavy traffic. “It’s hard to get around with traffic. It takes me ten minutes to get out of the parking lot,” Jam shared. With 14 years of experience living in Port Aransas, Jam anticipates the arrival of tens of thousands of tourists on the island in the coming days. He assures that his team is prepared to cater to the needs of every visitor.
“Monday, it’s on. There are only 3,000 people that live here, and we’ll have over 100,000 people a day. It is kind of a test of what we’re going to get in the summer, so everybody should be ready. I don’t know if they’re ready, but we’re ready,” Jam affirmed, highlighting the immense influx of tourists expected and the readiness of local businesses to meet the demand.