Galveston preparing for big spring break crowds

Josh Leuchtag, of Houston, reaches for a frisbee as he enjoys some sunshine with his girlfriend Lacey Truelove, of Houston, Tuesday, March 13, 2012, on the beach by Seawall Boulevard in Galveston. Josh Leuchtag, of Houston, reaches for a frisbee as he enjoys some sunshine with his girlfriend Lacey Truelove, of Houston, Tuesday, March 13, 2012, on the beach by Seawall Boulevard in Galveston. Photo: Nick De La Torre, . Photo: Nick De La Torre, . Image 1 of / 62 Caption Close Galveston preparing for big spring break crowds 1 / 62 Back to Gallery

Spring's in the air, and Galveston is gearing up for thousands of visitors to descend on its beaches for spring break 2013, which officially kicks off March 9.

"Spring break is usually a good indicator of how our summer tourism season will go, so it's very important to Galveston for that reason," said Leah Cast of the the Galveston Island Convention & Visitors Bureau. "There will be some college kids who come down and enjoy the beaches, but it's not the big college parties that you see in others areas like Cancun (Mexico) and Miami Beach. More of your typical families come down from Houston and around the state."

Meanwhile, island hotels are sprucing up in anticipation of the annual rite of spring, and for good reason: the weekend translates into big bucks.

During last year's spring break, Galveston's hotels generated $4.2 million in revenue, a 22 percent increase from 2011, according to the convention bureau. The hotel occupancy was 93.5 percent at full-service hotels last spring break, up 4 percent from 2011. Limited service hotels showed a 87.1 percent occupancy.

"These percentages are high and reflective of what we see during the summer months," Cast said.

Meanwhile, the Galveston Island Beach Patrol is expected to be fully staffed with lifeguards for this year's spring break.

"We've had three spring breaks in a row where we've had big crowds," said Galveston Island Beach Patrol Chief Peter Davis. "We've basically had the same number of people out on the beach during Spring Break as we see in June."

Beach Patrol lifeguards will staff the guard towers along Seawall Boulevard, Stewart Beach and East Beach, depending on weather and water conditions, Davis said.

Lt. Michael Gray of the Galveston Police Department said he doesn't expect to see rowdy crowds that have plagued other spring break cities across the country.

"There's no likely incidence of that occurring," he said. "Our spring break is very family oriented."

But Galveston police are prepared for any scuffles like the disturbance that resulted in seven arrests during the last weekend of Mardi Gras! Galveston 2013. The fight broke out as officers were clearing the downtown area after the Momus Parade ended on Feb. 9.

"We have officers trained in crowd-control techniques and we have a special response group to diffuse potential flare-ups," he said.