Port Aransas Soon to Roll Out First Conference Center

Cinnamon Shore South is a $1.3 billion 300-acre expansion that will quadruple the existing community.

HOUSTON—So far for 2019, Port Aransas’ visitors arrivals have exceeded last year’s numbers by 40%. Those arrivals are expected to rise, thanks to the upcoming special events, festivals and 3,300 out of 4,200 lodging units (up from 2,200 last year) that are now open for business, along with the island’s 60 independently owned restaurants.

The town is gearing up to welcome visitors with new tourism developments, including a new beachfront/bayfront marina and resort, and the destination’s first conference center and hotel. This conference facility is slated to open in 2021 for gatherings of 500 to 2,000 people. The hotel portion is projected to include roughly 185 to 225 rooms when it breaks ground likely in February, according to Jeff Hentz, president and CEO of the Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau.