A new study released by Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch with the Indiana Office of Tourism Development shows a growing impact tourism has on Indiana’s economy.
“Now in its seventh year of continued growth, the tourism industry has set a record $12.7 billion in visitor spending last year,” Crouch said. “This trend, combined with the new leadership Misty Weisensteiner will bring, will take tourism to the Next Level in the years to come.”
Here are some of the highlights of the report:
- The number of visitors to Indiana destinations increased to 80 million;
- Total visitor spending reached $12.7B;
- Overnight visits rose to 31.2 million;
- Spending per visitor rose to $158;
- Visitor spending added $9.8B to the state’s gross domestic product;
- Out of each dollar spent, $0.72 stays in Indiana;
- Tourism generated $1.4B in state and local taxes;
- Indiana tourism supported 199,830 full-time jobs; and
- Hoosier households saved an average of $561.
The study was commissioned by the Indiana Office of Tourism Development and conducted by Rockport Analytics, an independent market research and consulting company that specializes in economic impact and feasibility studies for the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. The methodology employed by this study is in accordance with industry best practices and aligns economic impact data at the state and local level with rigorous methodological standards that are recognized as the highest in the industry.
The study used data on Indiana visitor spending derived from multiple sources including Longwoods International, Reach Market Planning and the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Travel & Tourism Office. It was then reconciled with Bureau of Labor Statistics reported employment data, Indiana Department of Revenue reported tax receipts and secondary sources such as Smith Travel Research.
The infographic illustrates some key data points in the economic report. It can be found on the Indiana Office of Tourism Development’s website, VisitIndianaTourism.com.
Due to an error discovered during our 2017 research, we have included a restatement of our 2016 numbers with our 2017 report. For more information on the revision, go to VisitIndianaTourism.com.
