Ohio Tourism industry continues growth in 2011

Lorain, Ohio lighthouse

Tourism in Ohio reaches $40 billion in total sales, tops pre-recession level

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio Office of Tourism earlier this month announced that Ohio's tourism economy grew 6.5 percent in 2011 and generated $40 billion in total sales, up from $38 billion in 2010, according to research conducted on behalf of the Ohio Office of Tourism.

Tourism last year generated $2.7 billion in taxes for Ohio - $1.6 billion in state taxes and $1.1 billion in local taxes. This growth in sales helped increase tourism employment to 443,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs with an associated income of $10.6 billion, an increase of 4,000 jobs over 2010.

"About 1 in every 11.5 jobs or 8.7 percent of Ohio's jobs in 2011 were sustained by Ohio's tourism industry," said Amir Eylon, State Tourism Director. "Tourism is a resilient industry with the ability to quickly add new jobs to meet increased demand, which has put it at the forefront of economic recovery."

Total visitation to and within Ohio grew to more than 180 million visits in 2011, up from an estimated 179 million visits in 2010.

"These results reinforce the strength of Ohio's tourism industry as an economic driver for our state," said Christiane Schmenk, Director of the Ohio Department of Development. "We are pleased that travelers continue to take advantage of our state's resources and experience Ohio."

More than 36 million visitors who traveled to Ohio in 2011 stayed overnight, an increase of 5 percent from 2010.

"This is a good indicator that Ohio tourism has returned to pre-recession levels and represents very good news for our industry since Ohio's average overnight visitor outspends day travelers by three to one," Eylon said.