While Irving, Texas, has long been a popular Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex meetings and business travel destination, new entertainment options that primarily draw leisure visitors have provided a jolt to its non-transient traffic.
The Texas economic hot streak continued in Q1 2023 with the Lone Star State outpacing the entire U.S. for the fourth quarter in a row to start the year. Key industry drivers include aerospace, aviation and defense; biotechnology and life sciences; energy; IT; and petroleum refining and chemical products.
This March, Frisco became the 42nd Texas city designated as a “Music Friendly Texas Certified Community” under the Texas Music Office’s pioneering music business-related economic development program. Two months later, the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards show came to town. Co-hosted by country legends Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks and streamed worldwide, the two-hour spectacle was held at the Ford Center, the 12,000-seat multipurpose indoor stadium at The Star, the Dallas Cowboys’ world headquarters.