CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Memorial Day weekend is drawing to a close Monday, and it was likely a positive one for the Coastal Bend economy.
Financial reports from local businesses won't be available for awhile, but judging from the crowds at area beaches, the outlook is good.
“We stay in the Downtown area," Corpus Christi visitor Raymond Chen said. "We rented an Air BNB, and we try to eat some of the seafood around here."
Chen, his wife, his two children and his dog are spending three days on Corpus Christi beaches after first visiting San Antonio, from Dallas.
He wasn't about to skip a vacation this year — and even with gasoline selling for over four-dollars per gallon, he opted to hit the road instead of traveling by air.
“No matter what, I want to go somewhere," Chen said. "So if I fly, it will probably be just more expensive. So I tried not to consider the gas price right now."
High fuel prices and the lingering COVID-19 pandemic did not impact the holiday weekend crowds at, at least one local restaurant.
“We definitely had a line almost out the door for the whole weekend," Surfside Sandwich Shoppe employee Mo Hudson said. "But you know, we love to see it."
It's something all area restaurants and other businesses hope to see all summer long.
“I would say everyone in Corpus loves the holidays here," Hudson said. "It brings in fresh new faces and hopefully longtime customers.”
And you can bet Chen and his family will be back.
“We just want to enjoy the sunshine — the summer,” he said.
