GALVESTON, Texas — Memorial Day began with red flag warnings along Galveston beaches. But that didn’t knock the wind out of many sails as folks flocked to the island for the unofficial beginning of summer.
"Just going to lie on the beach and be lazy,” one visitor said.
"We’re just kind of taking the day off to spend time with family,” said another.
"I'm ready for it to get back to normal," another said.
Tourism officials said the island fared better than many beach towns given its proximity to Houston. But it still saw a nearly 20% dip in hotel occupancy and revenue during the pandemic.
"It was extremely difficult, extremely,” Galveston-native Michael Porretto said.
He has rented out chairs and umbrellas along the beach for most of his life and he's among those looking forward to a sunnier summer season, financially speaking.
"This whole island works as a team," Porretto said. "From the Galveston Parks Board to the Galveston Restaurant Group, Landry’s Incorporated. All of these families work together and it’s a team effort.”
The return of cruises after more than a year of being idle will bring another big boost beginning with Carnival voyages on July 3 and 15.
"For the island, we welcome over 7-and-a-half million visitors a year and over a million of those are just from cruises," Galveston Chief Tourism Officer Michael Woody said. "So, we’re really looking forward to welcoming these people back to the island.”
Woody said convention bookings have also picked up. But safety remains the primary concern when it comes to advice for visitors no matter the reason they’re here.
"We have 32 lifeguard stands all along the beach and we encourage people to swim by the lifeguards," Woody said. "That really gives us the opportunity, if someone needs help, we can help them really quickly.”
Some private businesses may still ask you to wear a mask. But, for the most part, things look a lot like they did pre-pandemic.