Indy Tourism Industry Looks to The Future
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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 says the city's first-ever comprehensive tourism master plan will provide a “roadmap to 2020 and beyond.” Vice President of Marketing and Communications Chris Gahl says the plan will examine questions including whether the Indiana Convention Center should be expanded again and how many new hotel rooms the city needs. The Capital Improvement Board has approved $180,000 for the plan, which is expected to be complete by the end of 2015.
January 22, 2014
News Release
Indianapolis, Ind. — A comprehensive study released by Visit Indy shows the economic impact of the tourism industry in Indianapolis generated $4.4 billion in 2012, an increase from the $4 billion generated in 2011.
The study – conducted by the Baltimore-based research firm Rockport Analytics– also shows an increase in the number of visitors, with more than 26 million people from around the world traveling to Indianapolis in 2012, an increase from 25 million in 2011. Following industry standards, a “visitor” is defined as someone who makes an overnight trip or traveled in excess of 50 miles, each way, to the destination.
A third indicator, visitor spending per trip, increased to $169 in 2012, up $8 from 2011. And approximately 74,000 full-time equivalent jobs were generated as a result of tourism spending in Central Indiana. The report also noted that $337 million in new tourism spending was generated in just 14 days surrounding Super Bowl XLVI.
“The convention and tourism industry is a powerful economic engine for Central Indiana,” said Leonard Hoops, president & CEO of Visit Indy. “Visitors to Indianapolis generate substantial tax revenue not just locally, but statewide. And visitor spending supports jobs for hospitality professionals at virtually every educational and experience level – jobs that simply can’t be outsourced.”
When examining tourism across the entire state, visitor spending in the Indianapolis region accounted for over 44 percent of all tourism spending in Indiana. Visitor spending in Central Indiana also produced $1.1 billion in total tax receipts, including $265 million in state sales tax alone.
The study also noted that: every 351 visitors supported a job within the Indianapolis Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), and every 367 visitors to Indianapolis pay for one Indiana public school student. The study showed if visitors stopped coming to Indianapolis, each of the city’s households located within the MSA would have to pay an additional $886 in state and local taxes.
A study of the impact of tourism in 2013 will conducted later this year and is expected to be released in late 2014.
The mission of Visit Indy is to increase Indianapolis economic growth by strategically selling the destination to conventions, meetings, events, and leisure travelers. www.VisitIndy.com.
Source: Visit Indy