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Coldplay concerts push El Paso hotel occupancy, set new event records at UTEP
Summary
Destination El Paso and city staff said two sold-out Coldplay concerts at UTEP’s Sun Bowl drove record single-day museum attendance, pushed hotel occupancy into the mid‑90s and produced unusually large food and merchandise sales; a detailed economic-impact report and sales-tax tallies are pending next month’s sales-tax receipts.
Two sold‑out Coldplay concerts at UTEP’s Sun Bowl produced a sharp, measurable spike in downtown hotel occupancy and related visitor spending, city staff and Destination El Paso reported during the July 7 council work session.
Jose Garcia of Destination El Paso said the events set multiple local records and drove unusual food, beverage and merchandise revenue at the venue and nearby hotels and restaurants. Robert Cortinez of the Office of Management and Budget told council the city expects to see the first sales‑tax evidence of the events in the Wednesday sales‑tax release (typically a multi‑month lag) and a fuller economic‑impact briefing soon afterward.
Key impacts reported - Hotel occupancy: Friday and Saturday night average occupancy reported in the mid‑90s percent at area hotels, with a marked increase in average daily room rate. - Venue records: Destination El Paso said the new children's museum (La Nube/MAC) broke a longstanding single‑day attendance record previously set in 1998; trade and merch receipts at the Sun Bowl were described as the venue’s strongest on record for an event of this type. - Sales‑tax timing: Budget staff noted sales‑tax and franchise‑fee data are reported with a lag; Cortinez said the city will have a clearer picture when the next sales‑tax release is posted and he expected a measurable multi‑million‑dollar economic impact from the two concerts combined.
Why it matters: a high‑profile entertainment event brought tens of thousands of visitors, filled hotel rooms, and generated downtown commerce and tax receipts; city staff said such events support local hospitality jobs and municipal revenues but require coordinated operations across public safety, traffic and venue partners.
Next steps: Cortinez said OMB will present a formal impact estimate for council when additional sales‑tax and hotel‑data arrive; Destination El Paso said it will continue to pursue major entertainment and conference business for downtown venues.
Ending: council members and staff praised the cross‑agency coordination—police, Sun Metro, fire and tourism partners—for the event’s execution and asked staff to return with a detailed, post‑event impact and tax‑collection report.
