Tourism a boon for Steuben County
Staff Reports
Saturday, October 22, 2011
ANGOLA - A new study finds the hospitality industry contributed more than $135 million in direct expenditures to Steuben County's economy in 2010.
Adjusted for inflation, Steuben County experienced annual growth of 2 percent since 2006, the last year a study was conducted. Certec Inc., of Louisville, Ky., conducts the studies for visitor bureaus across the country, using an input-output multiplier.
"Historically tourism weathers economic downturns relatively well," said June Julien, executive director of the Steuben County Tourism Bureau. "Because Steuben County is conveniently located to many large population centers and is a reasonably-priced destination, we were able to maintain during the recession."
Other finds in the economic impact study include:
- Tourism generated $16.4 million in state taxes and $8.8 million in local taxes.
- The hospitality industry in Steuben County created 2,547 jobs, providing $39.1 million in wages.
- Shopping accounted for $43.5 million of expenditures while food and beverage accounted for $39.4 million. The lodging industry account for $14.9 million. More than $17 million was spent at local attractions. Other categories account for the rest of the spending.
- There were more than 1.8 million overnight visitors in 2010 and 427,000 pass-through travelers, which was 4.1 percent annual growth over 2006.
- The majority of visitors to Steuben County came from Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Illinois.
- Two-thirds of visitors are on short trips of one to three nights, with 81 percent staying in hotels.
- Sixty-three percent of all visitors used the Internet to plan their trip to Steuben County.
Details are available from Julien at 260-665-5386.