New convention bookings, meetings hosted, hotel revenue, visitors to the city, air passengers—2024 was a record-setting year for Houston’s hospitality sector across multiple metrics, illustrating the growing strength of the region’s fourth-largest employment sector.
Preliminary projections show that more than 54 million people visited the City of Houston last year, a roughly 6 percent increase over 2023 and nearly 10 percent over 2019. That record visitation figure is based on estimates analyzed by Houston First Corporation, the region’s destination marketing organization. Regionwide visitation is expected to post similar percentage gains when final figures are released this spring.
“Last year’s record visitor numbers demonstrate Houston is heading in the right direction,” said Houston Mayor John Whitmire in a media statement. “These efforts to promote Houston and attract conventions and tourists benefit all Houstonians by generating spending and commerce, which ultimately creates jobs in our community.”
Meetings and events booked by the Houston First team and held in 2024 represented approximately 740,000 room nights, surpassing the previous record of 733,000 room nights set in 2019.
During the year, the HFC Sales team booked 759 future meetings last year representing nearly 862,000 room nights, far surpassing the previous record set in 2019 and a 25 percent increase over the 2023 total.
Hotels and Airports On the Rise
Houston hotels ended the year with healthy growth across major indicators. More than 25 million hotel room nights were booked during the year, up 8.2 percent from 2023. Occupancy market-wide rose 7.7 percent year-over-year while average daily rate (ADR) and revenue per available room (RevPAR)—both key measures of hotel performance— rose 6.8 percent and 15 percent, respectively. Overall revenue reached a new record in 2024, up 15.5 percent over the previous record set in 2023.
Meanwhile, Houston’s two passenger airports experienced record traffic in 2024. More than 63 million people traveled through George Bush Intercontinental and Hobby airports last year, an increase of nearly 5 percent over the same period the year before. Traffic through Bush alone rose 4.9 percent year over year while Hobby experienced a 5.1 percent surge in passengers. Summer holiday weekends as well as Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday travel helped bolster overall volume.
In a media statement, Houston First Board Chair Jay Zeidman said the city’s evolution as a destination over the last decade has been remarkable. “Each year we welcome more and more visitors from around the world to experience our dynamic culture, major events, and unmatched hospitality,” Zeidman said. “This city continues to shine as a premier destination for convention, business, and leisure travelers.”
What’s Ahead
Houston began 2025 by hosting PCMA Convening Leaders’ 25th annual conference at the George R. Brown Convention Center in mid-January. Nearly 4,000 meeting planners and industry leaders attended the conference, the premier event for the global meetings and conventions sector. Houston First hopes to generate $200 million in new business as a result of hosting the event.
In December, IAEE Expo! Expo! will bring 2,000 global exhibitions professionals to town. Several new hotels are slated to come online across the market this year as well as new cultural and arts centers. With continued growth anticipated in the local economy and a healthy convention and special events calendar, 2025 looks to be another great year for the hotel and broader hospitality sector.
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