News & Resources for the Indiana Tourism Industry

Honest-to-Goodness Economic Benefit

There's no denying that tourism matters in Indiana! Visitor spending brings cash to our communities, creating jobs, enhancing the local economy and improving the quality of life for residents. At the same time, travel and tourism heighten cultural awareness, help create a sense of place for a community and can provide shared experiences to connect friends and families across generations. After all, a community cannot be a great place to visit if it's not first a great place to live.

Click here to see the National Restaurant Association’s new infographic on job security and workforce development.

Click here to see the tourism advocacy videos produced by the Indiana Tourism Association.

 

Fast Facts

  1. It takes only 326 visitors to support one new job in Indiana.
  2. Every 359 Indiana visitors generate enough state and local taxes to pay for one Indiana public school student.
  3. Having grown 5.9%, the tourism industry was the largest service industry in the Indiana economy in 2016.
  4. Each Indiana visitor spent an average of $154 locally on transportation, hotel, food and beverage, shopping and entertainment.
  1. Each visitor generated roughly $38 in tax receipts, $21 of which went to state and local authorities.
  2. If visitors stopped coming to Indiana, each of its 2.5 million households would have to pay an additional $635 in state & local taxes in order to maintain current levels of tax receipts.
  3. Indiana was able to retain about 89ยข of every $1 spent by visitors.

2016 Economic Impact of Tourism in Indiana

Indiana destinations welcomed a record 79 million visitors (A 1.7% increase over the previous year.)

Leisure travelers were 82% of the total visitors, increasing day tripper visitors by 2.1% and overnight visits by 2.7%.

Visitors spent a record $12.2 billion in Indiana, an 6.1% increase YoY. $3.4 billion in food & drink, $2.7 billion in shopping, $2.2 billion in entertainment and recreation, $2 billion in lodging, $2 billion in transportation, < $1 billion in other areas

Tourism directly employs 186,400 Hoosiers and supports 242,000 jobs statewide, a 5.9% growth YoY

89¢ of every $1 spent by visitors stays in Indiana. This contributes $10.9 billion to Indiana’s Gross Domestic Product.

Tourism saves Hoosiers money by saving an average of $635 in state and local taxes per household

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