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Ohio Travel Industry Generates $30.7 Billion in 2004
2004 Ohio travel stats show increases in economic impact, number of trips and overnight trips
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Direct visitor spending in Ohio increased for the second year in a row according to the Ohio Department of Development's Division of Travel and Tourism. The Division today released figures detailing the impact of tourism in Ohio during 2004 based on commissioned research conducted by Longwoods International and Rovelstad & Associates.
According to the study, total visitor spending in Ohio grew nearly 8 percent in 2004 to $30.7 billion compared to $28.5 billion in 2003. Direct taxes from tourism spending generated more than $2 billion, with an estimated $1.4 billion of that in state taxes and $680 million in local taxes.
The Ohio travel industry accounted for more than 529,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs and $9.2 billion in wages in 2004, up from 505,000 jobs and $8.5 billion in wages during 2003.
"The fact that Ohio's travel numbers continued to increase in 2004 both in visitor spending and number of jobs is great news for the travel industry and for the state," said Lt. Governor Bruce Johnson, who also serves as director of the Ohio Department of Development. "This research confirms that Ohio continued the growth pattern that began in 2003 and maintained that momentum in 2004 despite surrounding states competing for travelers."
Overall, visitors took 162.9 million trips to Ohio last year, up from 156 million in 2003. Seventy-nine percent (129.4 million) of those trips were day trips and 21 percent (33.5 million) represented overnight travel. The number of overnight trips to Ohio grew by 3 percent during 2004, with the number of day trips jumping 6 percent.
"After a 9 percent growth in Ohio's number of overnight trips from 2002 to 2003, it is encouraging to see that Ohio continued to gain in this area with another 3 percent increase in 2004," said State Tourism Director Claudia Vecchio. "This is an important statistic for the Ohio travel industry because overnight travelers typically spend more dollars per day than day trippers."
Ohio's travel research also showed that 82 percent of overnight trips to Ohio in 2004 were taken for leisure purposes.
The Ohio Division of Travel and Tourism is housed within the State of Ohio Department of Development. The Division's mission is to market Ohio's numerous and varied travel sites, destinations and attractions to potential travelers under the brand, Ohio…So much to Discover!
Consumers can obtain free Ohio travel information through the www.DiscoverOhio.com Web site or from Ohio's toll-free travel information hotline, 1-800-BUCKEYE. Trained travel counselors are available to assist callers weekdays from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and weekends from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Longwoods International, founded in 1978, is a research firm specializing in image branding and accountability for the tourism industry.
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