Houston is founded on a broad economic base and a very rich cultural background. It is a port city with businesses covering energy, manufacturing, aeronautics, transport, healthcare services, building and oilfields equipment. The city houses the headquarters of many Fortune 500 companies. It is the first in export business, international waterborne tonnage handled and second in total cargo tonnage in the United States of America. It is a multi-cultural centre with many cultural institutions, exhibitions, and celebrations. These have made Houston to attract over 7million visitors annually. Its climate is humid sub-tropical with mild winter.

Houston has a rich educational system that consists of eight universities and several colleges, which has pulled many people to it. It has a good integrated transport system made up of good networks of roads, rail and air transport systems. The city has three airports, two of which render commercial services. One of the two commercial airports is the George Bush International Airport known to be among the 10 busiest in terms of total passenger number, the 4th in terms of non-stop domestic and international destinations with 182 destinations and a model ’port of entry’ for international travellers in the USA.