Tourism impact study on Floyd County shows rise in expenditures
The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) and the U.S. Travel Association have released a study showing $143.42 million in domestic traveler expenditures across Floyd County during 2015, a three percent increase from 2014.
This study presents estimates of travel spending and economic activity at the state, region and county levels in 2015. Estimates include travel expenditures, travel-generated employment and payroll income, as well as tax revenues for state and local government. Direct domestic travel impacts are provided for the state, regions, and counties, while the international traveler impacts are provided at the state level only.
In Floyd County, the tourism industry supported a payroll of $ 26.65 million and supported 1,301 jobs throughout the service and hospitality industries.
Travelers to Rome & Floyd County generated $ 5.56 million in state tax revenue. Local tax revenue totaled $ 4.24 million as a result of tourism spending in 2015.
“We continue to make great strides in local tourism, with the addition of new hotels and the recently completed SPLOST funded Rome Tennis Center at Berry College. We look forward to the expansion and upgrade of services and facilities offered to potential travelers and groups in Rome & Floyd County,” said Lisa Smith, Greater Rome Convention & Visitors Bureau executive director. “It is important that we recognize the economic impact of tourism to our local economy and that we continue to invest in projects that not only keep existing conventions, meetings and sports tournaments in Rome, but also attract newer and bigger opportunities as well.”
Total domestic and international traveler expenditures in the State of Georgia totaled $ 58.9 billion in 2015, making tourism one of Georgia’s top economic generators. The tourism industry in Georgia is the 5th largest employer in the state and supports 439,000 jobs. Statewide taxes of $3 billion were generated by tourism in 2015.
About the Author
Our Georgia's Rome tourism team works hard to curate content to help you discover and explore our beautiful town! We want to ensure our content is up-to-date and accurate; so please let us know if we ever overlook an important detail! This post was originally written by Kristi Kent and is updated by staff.
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