HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — The city of Hot Springs lives breathes, and thrives off tourism.
Whether they come from within Arkansas or out, businesses are accustomed to the typical summer rush.
This summer, though, was different for Natalie Nation and National Park Gifts and Souvenirs.
"In my store especially, with it being on the corner lot, it's kinda like a gold mine," Nation explained.
A gold rush of sorts— that's just as busy, too.
"From Memorial Day to Labor Day, that's the busiest season for us," Nation added.
It's not just at their shop that business has been booming— it's across the Spa City.
"Business is very good, we're setting records the last several years," Steve Arrison, CEO of Visit Hot Springs, said.
He explained that those records are good to see. COVID shut them down at the start of the pandemic, and they've been climbing back ever since.
"I think a lot of people discovered us during that time," he said. "They like it, and they decided to come back."
Those records Arrison mentioned aren't long-standing. In March, they set a new record for tax revenue.
Just four months later in July, that record was broken.
"We collected a million dollars for only the second time in our history, and that's just on lodging and prepared food," Arrison said. "We're hitting on all cylinders right now, and it looks like it's just gonna be great into the future in the next several years."
Part of that has come from businesses adapting and changing.
Whether that's new additions, new menus, or just new businesses in general, Arrison said it has helped.
Add in that conferences at the convention center are back, and it's easy to see the growth.
"We have very few days next year where we can even slip in more meetings," Arrison said.
Back with Nation, getting ready for this year was something they planned for. With business as good as it was, it's hard not to think ahead to next year.
"Prepared, and more than we were last year because we knew it was going to be busier," she said.