Houston tourism hits new record in 2018

Jill Jarvis, left, walks with her son, James, in front of a mural by GONZO247 named "Houston Is" in the parking lot at the intersection of Preston and Travis during the kickoff of "Houston Is Inspired" campaign Tuesday, May 7, 2013, in Houston. less Jill Jarvis, left, walks with her son, James, in front of a mural by GONZO247 named "Houston Is" in the parking lot at the intersection of Preston and Travis during the kickoff of "Houston Is Inspired" campaign ... more Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 51 Caption Close Houston tourism hits new record in 2018 1 / 51 Back to Gallery

Houston welcomed a record 22.3 million tourists in 2018, up from 21.8 million the prior year.

Weekend travelers boosted those figures as Visit Houston promoted the city to Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and other Texas locales. With business travelers filling hotels during the week, these leisure travelers are crucial on the weekends.

"That's when hotels in Houston need the business," said Jorge Franz, senior vice president of tourism for Visit Houston.

2017 numbers: Nearly 22 million people visited Houston in 2017, according to new Houston First data

Houston visitors spent $9.8 billion in 2018, providing the city with $513 million in tax revenue.

Well-performing sports teams and the Houston Experience Marketplace, a one-year-old website for buying museum tickets or more curated experiences like brewery tours, also boosted tourism numbers as the city strives for 25 million in the year 2020. Franz said the marketplace sold more than 4,000 experiences last year.

But there was one segment that fell: international tourists. This dropped to 3.3 million people in 2018, down from 3.5 million in 2017.

This was primarily caused by fewer people visiting from Mexico, Houston's largest international market. Mexican tourists accounted for 2.2 million people in 2018, down from 2.4 million in 2017.

Franz said the United States' immigration policies and rhetoric likely played a role in that drop off.

MORE: Nearly $35 billion spent in Texas by out-of-state tourists

"That is the first real sign that we have seen of that," he said. "We've been monitoring that for the past three years."

It's a shame, he said, as Mexican travelers to Houston spend three times more than the average American traveler.

"Mexico is a place where people say, 'I'm going to vacation in Houston.'"