CVB reports record revenues but warns World Cup, global travel trends pose uncertainty

Irving — The Irving Convention & Visitors Bureau told the City Council on May 4 that the local visitor economy has recovered strongly since the pandemic but faces near-term uncertainty from global travel trends and major upcoming events such as the 2026 World Cup.

Mara Gass, executive director of the Irving Convention & Visitors Bureau (ICVB) (first reference: Mara Gass, executive director, Irving Convention & Visitors Bureau), told council members the bureau’s promotional and sales work helped the city welcome “just over 4.3 million visitors” and generate nearly $3.5 billion in direct visitor spending annually, figures recited in a proclamation earlier in the meeting. The CVB said visitor spending supports roughly 23,329 jobs and produces about $70.3 million in local tax revenue, figures used in the presentation.

Gass said recent digital marketing and distribution partnerships—most notably an Expedia campaign—produced measurable hotel bookings in early 2025: January through April performance generated nearly 26,000 room nights and about $3 million in direct hotel revenue attributable to the campaign.

However, the bureau’s presentation emphasized risks. Gass said international arrivals are softening—Europe, Canada and Mexico showed declines—and airline capacity and corporate travel budgets are under pressure. “The business travel market is on a very extreme tightrope right now,” she said, citing industry forecasts and airline earnings scenarios.

The CVB also outlined uncertainties tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which has a multi-month footprint for some teams and VIPs. Gass said Omni Las Colinas has been named a team hotel, the Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas received a VIP block, and some university training camps are contracted in the area. But she noted the CVB does not yet know which teams will use Irving facilities and said extended team stays could reduce taxable hotel revenue because FIFA-related contracted blocks and team accommodations may be tax-exempt or priced at premium rates that offset local tax receipts.

“We are working with tourism economics to get a better feel for what hotel tax revenues will look like next year,” Gass said, noting uncertainty about which entities (host committee, FIFA, Dallas Sports Commission) will pay for additional security and transportation costs.

The bureau also reported convention-center performance remained strong: revenue and event counts increased since the COVID slump, the facility is undergoing a cafe-area renovation and a roof replacement is planned, and staff are pursuing large-scale weekend and off-peak bookings to strengthen calendar coverage.

Council members asked about incentive use for long team stays and about how the city might deploy modest room-block incentives given very high per-night rates. Gass said typical local incentives are small per-room amounts and may have limited influence on elite team blocks that command premium rates.

Gass and staff urged continued coordination with police and city departments on event planning and traffic management for major events, and said the CVB board’s strategy will prioritize organizational sustainability, increased community outreach, and destination-enhancing development.

The presentation was informational; no council action was taken at the May 4 work session.