Texas Border Business
McALLEN, Texas – On April 27, 2026, Victor “Seby” Haddad, Mayor Pro Tem of the City of McAllen, Texas, proclaimed the week of May 3-9, 2026 “National Travel and Tourism Week” in McAllen.
National Travel and Tourism Week is the U.S. travel industry’s annual tradition of recognizing the essential role travel plays in powering our economy, strengthening communities, and connecting America.
“Travel and tourism are vital to McAllen’s economy, supporting over 7,200 jobs and driving commerce to local businesses,” said Mayor Javier Villalobos, City of McAllen. “We value the role our hoteliers, restaurants, retail, and entertainment partners have in making McAllen an international travel destination.”
The City of McAllen was recognized as an IFEA International Festival and World Festival and Event City 4 times for its year-round schedule of award-winning guest experiences spanning festivals, events, conventions, sports, nature, retail, and food tourism.
“Visit McAllen hosted 33 conferences, meetings, and conventions that generated over $7.4 million in economic impact and 13 sporting events that generated over $22 million in 2025 alone,” said Leigh Wooldridge, Vice President of Visit McAllen at the McAllen Chamber of Commerce. “McAllen is excited to welcome the world to be part of our growth and excitement.”
Domestic and international travelers to the Texas Rio Grande Valley arrive via McAllen’s 2 international bridges. McAllen Metro, and McAllen International Airport. “McAllen is the first and only South Texas airport to report over 1 million travelers per year in 2024, and we just announced back-to-back million traveler years in 2025,” said Jeremy Santoscoy, P.E., Director of Aviation, City of McAllen.
“Those millions of guests generated over 1.2 billion dollars in economic impact and over 12 thousand jobs a year for our region.”
Established by U.S. Travel Association, NTTW brings the industry together each year to spotlight travel’s impact—from supporting 15 million jobs to generating critical tax revenue that funds public services and infrastructure in communities nationwide.
“McAllen was voted a 4-time International Festival and World Festival and Event City because there’s no other place with the energy, imagination, and goodwill of our community,” said Isaac Tawil, City Manager, City of McAllen. “We thank our dedicated special events team, city workers, private partners, and sponsors for helping us share the best of our city with so many guests in 2025, 2026, and beyond.”
| City of McAllen 2026-2027 Signature events schedule: |
| • McAllen Independence Day Celebration7/4/26 |
| • McAllen Fright Fest10/10/26 |
| • Fiesta de Palmas in McAllen10/16/26 – 10/18/26 |
| • South Pole Illuminated Festival11/27/26 – 12/27/26 |
| • McAllen Holiday Parade12/5/26 |
| • McAllen Marathon1/16/27 |
| • McAllen International Carfest2/5/27-2/7/27 |
| • MXLAN Festival in McAllen3/5/27-3/7/27 |
Learn more about national travel and tourism week on social media @visitmcallen
