Tourism's Impact on Ohio

The below economic impact numbers of Ohio's tourism industry is the product of Ohio Tourism Economics and they have been verified by the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

JOBS

  • 443,132 Ohioans are employed by tourism!
  • Tourism supports jobs with visitor revenue from inside and outside the state of Ohio.  Visitor spending in the state of Ohio produces much-needed tax revenue to support libraries, education, health care and other essential programs and services for the citizens of Ohio.

15 to 1 ROI

  • Independent research has demonstrated that Ohio receives 15 state and local tax dollars for every dollar it spends on tourism ad campaigns.  Ohio must continue to invest in a tourism marketing campaign in order to:    
        • Sustain the jobs of the 443,132 Ohioans employed by tourism and create new jobs.
        • Maintain a positive revenue source from visitor spending.
        • Generate additional sales tax revenue for Ohio without increasing taxes.
    • Bring new money into Ohio.           

Economics

  • The money that the Ohio Tourism Division spends to promote travel to Ohio is a revenue generator, not an expense!
  • Visitors spend $40 billion annually in Ohio.
  • Tourism generates $1.5 billion in direct state taxes for Ohio each year.
  • Ohio's state and local governments receive $2.7 billion per year in tax revenue from visitor spending.

A Lesson from Other States

  • We need to learn from the missteps of others.  In 1993, Colorado eliminated its $12 million tourism promotion budget.
      1. Even with its natural lure of skiing and other tourism adventures, Colorado's domestic market share plunged quickly and dramatically, falling 30% in just two years.
        1. Over time, the revenue loss increased to well over $2 billion annually.
          1. It took until 2000, seven years later for the legislature to reinstate funding.  By 2007, another seven years after funding was reinstated, travel to Colorado rebounded to an all-time high, with 28 million visitors.
          • Our counterparts in Michigan are struggling with the same budget woes that Ohio faces and because of that, they have invested over $20 million in their "Pure Michigan" campaign because it increases visitor spending and generates GRF tax revenue far beyond its initial expense.

          Ohio Tourism Division Awards

          • 2009 Mercury Award Winner for best public relations program in the country.
          • National W3 Award for DiscoverOhio.com
          • 2007 & 2008 National Bronze Anvil Award winner for the best government public relations practices and programs in the country.
          • Three 2008 National TELLY Awards for video production excellence.
              1. Two for television commercials
                1. One for an overview video featuring Ohio's destination