Visit Indy: Record Tourism, Best ‘Yet to Come’
(Image courtesy of Visit Indy.)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowVisit Indy’s new annual report shows visitor spending has reached a record level for the sixth consecutive year. The organization worked with Rockport Analytics, which used data from 2016, which is the most recent figures available. In all, 28.6 million visitors pumped $5.2 billion into the Indianapolis economy, supporting 80,600 full-time-equivalent jobs throughout the region. State and local taxes generated by visitors totaled $719 million.
Visit Indy Chief Executive Officer Leonard Hoops, who will be a guest this weekend on Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick, calls the record numbers "phenomenal" and says priorities for 2018 include boosting use of the White River. "I mean, you’re talking about 58 miles of White River from downtown Indy to the northern part of Hamilton County," Hoops said. "We’re working with both the city of Indianapolis and Hamilton County officials to come up with six really focused, different kinds of initiatives along the river and just overall making the river friendlier for visitors and friendlier for people visiting here."
In 2017, Visit Indy says it locked down 874,473 future room-nights — through conventions, trade shows, meetings and events — which are estimated to be worth some $1 billion in spending by future visitors. In a news release, Hoops said "we’ve become a 12-months-a-year travel destination, topping $5 billion in visitor economic impact for the first time. And we’re confident through our ongoing regional tourism master plan efforts, and our track record of steadfast support from elected and civic leaders over the past four decades, that our best is yet to come."
You can connect to more about the 2018 Community Report by clicking here.