As summer hits its stride and Texans ponder their vacation options, Forbes Advisor has dropped a list ranking the 43 most populous U.S. cities across 16 metrics to ascertain the best – and worst – summer travel destinations; the analysis included criteria like crime rates, hotel prices, and average gas prices, while no Texas cities landed in the coveted top 10, Austin's omission from the breakdown in the press release might raise eyebrows.
According to CultureMap Austin, the Forbes report, published on June 1, positioned cities from a score of 1 to 100, with 100 signaling the poorest performance and Dallas, Texas, having the dubious honor of being pegged at 13 due to its stifling heat, traffic troubles, and higher-than-average number of damage claims at its busy airports Austin, with less commentary from Forbes, fell in the middle at No. 24, leading to speculation about its summer suitability.
Houston, however, bucking the trend and securing the No. 10 spot on Forbes' best summer travel destinations list, stood out for its affordable hotel rates and commendable airport services, with "the lowest median hotel price during the summer" and "the second highest percentage of summer property loss and damage claims reimbursed in full," as mentioned by CultureMap Austin.
Meanwhile, KXAN focuses more on the lower rankings, where El Paso sits at No. 15, perhaps due to its scant four-star tourist attractions and parking shortages, Austin's sister city San Antonio languishes at No. 20, afflicted not only by the heat but also a less-than-stellar walkability score, casting a shadow on that famous River Walk experience.
As for Dallas' figures, the city's Driving Experience score stood at 70.03 out of 100, weighed down by its frequency of fatal vehicle crashes during the summer months and average gasoline prices, contributing significantly to its overall lackluster placement, ultimately suggesting that driving in Dallas during the scorching summer might be an ordeal worth skipping, as cited by KXAN.
