Tourism Spending Up in Clark And Floyd Counties

The economic impact makes tourism the region's eighth-largest industry.

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The Clark-Floyd Counties Convention & Tourism Bureau says tourism spending jumped more than 15 percent in 2015 compared to the previous year. The organization says visitors spent more than $300 million in the region in 2015.

The bureau says all five industry categories (lodging, food and beverage, recreation and entertainment, retail and transportation) reported double-digit increases over 2014 levels. The economic impact makes tourism the region’s eighth-largest industry, supporting about 6 percent of all jobs in Clark and Floyd counties.

The economic impact study was conducted in partnership with the Indiana Office of Tourism Development. The office says, about 79 cents of every dollar spent in the local tourism industry stay in the region.

"While the CTB can’t claim responsibility for all the growth, "says Clark-Floyd Counties Convention & Tourism Bureau Director Jim Epperson, "we’ve been putting systems in place to market this region as a distinctive destination. If we can move the needle and increase visitation, we’ll contribute to the private sector’s success."