BEAVERCREEK — Greene County’s tourism industry generated $766 million in sales for local businesses, the Greene County Convention & Visitors Bureau reported July 24.
GCCVB released the data after TourismOhio and Tourism Economics conducted an integrated consumer-based research study.
According to the report, the county’s tourism also contributed nearly $47 million dollars in state and local taxes and sustained 8,373 local jobs in 2017. These 8,373 jobs are an integral and driving component of the Greene County economy, sustaining 12.1 percent of private employment.
“Visitor spending and employment figures are essential factors to consider when evaluating the importance of travel and tourism to Greene County’s economy,” Paul Newman, Director of the Greene County Department of Development said. “We have so many wonderful things to do in Greene County. Once someone comes here, they want to stay here. It’s great for our residents, but also helps regional business attract and retain talent.”
Kathleen Wright, Executive Director of GCCVB said, “The Greene County Convention & Visitors Bureau is working hard every day to generate economic impact for the county. 2017 was a great year for the area and the tourism industry in Greene County saw a 15.6 percent increase in sales revenue over 2016 figures, outpacing both regional and state averages.”
The $766 million dollars in Greene County is a part of the $53.3 billion dollars visitors spent in the state of Ohio in 2017. In the absence of the $3.3 billion dollars in state and local taxes generated by tourism in Ohio, each Ohio household would need to pay an additional $725 to maintain the current level of government services.
County level economic impact estimates are derived from the State of Ohio tourism economic impact report, also produced by Tourism Economics. Visitor spending estimates are based on several sources including:
— Visitor profile and spending estimates from Longwoods International, an international consumer research firm.
— STR data on hotel metrics including room demand, revenues, and occupancy rates.
— Statistics Canada data on spending in Ohio.
— Office of Travel & Tourism Industries estimates of overseas visits to Ohio.
— Sales tax data on lodging, retail, recreation sectors available from the Ohio Department of Taxation
— Local lodging tax data collected directly from the counties.
Economic data are compiled by industry at the county level, from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and Bureau of Labor Statistics. These provide industry detail on employment, value added, and wages by industry.
The economic impact analysis uses an IMPLAN (www.implan.com) input-output model for the state of Ohio which tracks spending by visitors to industries and among industries and households. This estimates indirect (supply chain) impacts and induced (income effect) impacts as wages are spent in the state economy.
