December marks the return of many Winter Texas, and some Valley business owners say they hope this season will help them bounce back after last year.

According to a study by the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's Business and Tourism Research Center, some seasonal residents come to the area for the cost of living, the friendly people, and the warm weather.

But last year, the coronavirus pandemic kept many Winter Texans away.

"Our RV parks were probably at 50% capacity," Kristi Collier, owner of Welcome Home RGV and co-sponsor of the UTRGV study, said, adding that the nearly $700 million in economic impact from Winter Texans saw a significant decrease last season.

And that's only the economic aspect.

"That doesn't even measure the volunteer impacts that they have in our schools, our churches, our nonprofit organizations, hospitals," Collier said. "It was a real hit last year."

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