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Collage of Easton, Downtown, and Franklin Park Conservatory to represent Columbus

Community Impact

Tourism fuels the local economy, employs residents, generates revenue, provides human services housing resources and supports local arts programs. Keep reading to learn more about the impact tourism has on the Columbus community and why Experience Columbus, the destination marketing organization for the Columbus region, is dedicated to growing visitor spending and enhancing the visitor experience.

Tourism...

Fuels the Economy

Greater Columbus welcomes 49.6 million visitors each year. Those visitors provide $6.6 billion in direct spend to local businesses, including restaurants, boutiques and more.

Employs Residents

The tourism sector supports nearly 75,000 jobs in Columbus and Franklin County — enough to more than fill Nationwide Arena, Lower.com Field, Schottenstein Center and Huntington Park combined. In other words, one out of every 15 jobs in Franklin County is supported by tourism.

Generates Revenue

The tourism industry generates revenue for vital city and county needs. In fact, local, state and federal tax revenue generated by visitors to Franklin County is estimated at $1.24 billion, providing millions in support to local human services, economic development and the arts.

Creates Return on Investment

Bed tax collections bring in more than $48.6 million and benefit various community organizations, including Health & Human Services (HHS) agencies, Greater Columbus Arts Council, Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority, Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County, Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission.

The top five industry sectors that benefit from visitor spending are retail, food and beverage, transportation, entertainment and lodging.
* The methodology used to calculate this number has changed to establish a new benchmark.