People are pouring into downtown Tulsa in record numbers, a local official told the Tulsa Regional Chamber’s Executive Committee on Monday.

Visitors to downtown increased by 30,000 last year to 2.15 million, surpassing the mark of 2.12 million set in pre-COVID 2019, Downtown Tulsa Partnership (DTP) executive Brian Kurtz said at the committee meeting.

“Visitor numbers are returning, which is outstanding,” said Kurtz, president and CEO of the DTP. “It’s looking a bit different than it did prior to the pandemic. We still have not reached pre-pandemic levels on weekdays. Friday and Saturday are generally where we are seeing higher than pre-pandemic numbers of visitors coming to downtown.

“We’re also seeing that they are staying in downtown longer than they were prior to the pandemic, as well. They are spending more in downtown today than they were pre-pandemic.”

Formerly the Downtown Coordinating Council, the DTP will celebrate its third anniversary in July. It is a management organization for downtown that provides supplemental services such as cleaning, beautification, safety, hospitality and marketing support.

Kurtz shared with Chamber leadership highlights from the 2024 State of Downtown report, which was released in April. The report looked at such items as demographics, employee work trends, hospitality, dining, retail and commerce.

Among other things, it revealed that:

The report also found that 5,000 residents live downtown, with 38,000 people working there during the course of a week.

“Our demographics are getting younger; they (residents) are making more money,” Kurtz said. “But it also causes us to take a look at the types of units we are building.

“We want downtown to be a place for everyone. So, how are we making sure that the housing we are building downtown and certainly across the city is attainable and accessible to everyone?”

The report indicated that, four years following the pandemic shutdown, the return-to-work rate has stabilized at 70% and is unlikely to increase, as companies have settled into a mix of office and remote work.

On the economic development side, Kurtz said investments totaling at least $750 million to the medical district are expected to add 2,200 jobs to the local economy.

Also, investments from Tulsa Innovation Labs are scheduled to attract 150 startups to Tulsa over eight years.

Dovetailing a discussion from earlier in the meeting about a proposed convention center hotel, Kurtz said upgrades to adjacent public areas will be a priority.

Groundbreaking for the planned 650-room hotel could take place as early as the end of 2024, said Renee McKenney, senior vice president of tourism for the Chamber and president of Tulsa Regional Tourism.

“What we are extremely focused on is ensuring that the public realm improvements are up to par for what we need for a convention center hotel,” Kurtz said.