Texas Tourism: $98.7B in Spending and Who Markets It

Texas tourism generated $98.7 billion in direct travel spending in 2025, up 1.2% from 2024, and an economic impact of $201.8 billion, according to Dean Runyan Associates data published by Travel Texas in April 2026. Travel Texas, a division of the Governor's Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office, markets the state to out-of-state and international visitors, while city bureaus market individual destinations.

How much does tourism contribute to the Texas economy?

Texas travel generated $201.8 billion in economic impact, $80.8 billion in earnings and 1.3 million jobs in 2025, according to Dean Runyan Associates figures published by Travel Texas.

Source: Travel Texas economic impact summaries, Dean Runyan Associates, updated April 2025 and April 2026.

Travel Texas reported that a record 62 million travelers visited Texas in 2024 from across the country and around the world, and that travel generated $9.2 billion in state and local taxes that year. Governor Greg Abbott's office also named Hospitality, Tourism, and Culture as one of 10 targeted industry sectors in the state's five-year economic development strategic plan.

Do in-state, out-of-state or international visitors spend most?

In-state travelers accounted for 47% of direct travel spending in Texas in 2025, out-of-state travelers for 44% and international travelers for 9%, according to Travel Texas.

The dollar figures apply each share to the $98.7 billion total and are rounded. Travel Texas states that its mission is to market Texas to out-of-state and international travelers, and those two groups together made up 53% of 2025 direct spending. International visitors are the smallest group by spending, so a one-point gain in the international share is worth about $1 billion a year at 2025 volumes.

Who markets Texas tourism?

Travel Texas markets Texas as a destination to out-of-state and international travelers from inside the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office in the Office of the Governor, according to its stated mission.

The PR agencies that work on these accounts are covered in the Texas PR firms guide, the Houston PR firms list and the Austin agency ranking.

How do Texas tourism marketers hire PR firms?

Texas tourism marketing work reaches PR firms through public procurement, and EPR tracked a request from the Governor's Economic Development and Tourism Office for written proposals from travel PR firms in a 2018 report on the Texas tourism RFP.

That post also examines how Texas appears when international travelers ask AI engines about the state in their own language. For the general process, read how tourism boards hire PR firms, and for agency options across destinations see the travel and tourism PR firms directory.

What should tourism marketers do with these Texas numbers?

Tourism marketers should cite the Travel Texas figures with their year and source, pitch to the traveler segment that matches the audience, and track how AI engines describe Texas destinations.

1. Quote spending as "$98.7 billion in 2025, per Dean Runyan Associates for Travel Texas" and keep the 2024 comparison alongside it, because the 1.2% year-over-year gain is small.
2. Split the audience by origin before drafting. A campaign aimed at in-state travelers addresses 47% of spending, while one aimed at international travelers addresses 9%.
3. Ask ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews what to see in Texas every month, in each priority language, and log which destinations and sources each engine names. The destination answer study explains the method.

For the state's wider economy, including GDP and Fortune 500 headquarters, read the Texas economy overview.