2022 State of the Visitor Industry: Mid-Year Report

COLUMBUS, Ohio—The 2022 State of the Visitor Industry: Mid-Year Report made available today by Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission shows continued signs of a strong recovery for Columbus’ tourism industry. 

As the destination marketing organization for the Columbus region, Experience Columbus is dedicated to growing visitor spending and enhancing the visitor experience. New data released recently shows that annually, visitors make 42.7 million trips to Greater Columbus for conventions, trade shows, sporting events and leisure visits, spending $6.6 billion and supporting 75,000 jobs. Through the first six months of the year, bed tax collections as a result of these visits reached more than $20.7 million, which supports not only Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, but also the Greater Columbus Arts Council, nearly 40 health and human service organizations, the Affordable Housing Trust and Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority. 

From January 1, 2022 through June 30, 2022, Columbus hosted a total of 111 conventions, trade shows and sporting events, up 73% from the same timeframe last year. While business travel remains slower to recover compared to the leisure market, the first two quarters continued to indicate steady growth for this market with five citywides booked for the future.   

Top events hosted during the first six months of the year included Plexus Worldwide, Arnold Sports Festival, American Foundry Society, National Collegiate Bowling Championship—the third NCAA Championship the city has hosted in 12 months—and the USA Volleyball’s Ohio Valley Region.  

“With 111 events, including 10 citywides, hosted in Columbus during the past six months, we are encouraged and optimistic about our industry’s recovery,” said Experience Columbus President and CEO Brian Ross. “The return of festival season this summer has brought in hundreds of thousands of visitors to Columbus. Seeing our community come together and take to the streets once again to celebrate our LGBTQ+ community, the arts, culture and more has been wonderful. Over the past six months we have also created new experiences and resources for visitors, such as trails like the Columbus Distillery Trail and Columbus Live Music Trail, and the Accessibility Guide. We look forward to the region’s continued recovery and the excitement we know the rest of the year holds.” 

From January 1 to June 30, 2022, the STR report shows that all key performance metrics increased year over year: 

 * RevPAR is a hotel industry performance metric, which is calculated by multiplying a hotel’s ADR by its occupancy rate. 
 
Year-to-date bed tax collections through June 30 totaled more than $20.7 million, up 83% over the same period in 2021, according to reports from the Office of City of Columbus Auditor Megan Kilgore. Looking ahead, Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission booked future business accounting for 179,141 room nights. 

“This year has been monumental for the Greater Columbus Sports Commission as we have marked two major anniversaries, the 50th anniversary of Title IX and the 20th anniversary of our organization,” said Greater Columbus Sports Commission CEO and President Linda Logan. “These landmarks have given us time to reflect on the impact that sports have on our community and our community’s impact on girls and women in sports. We have also felt the renewed energy and excitement as our city has welcomed fans from around the world to once again fill stadiums on Nationwide Blvd.—or Sports Street as we call it—the Greater Columbus Convention Center and dozens of other venues.” 

Looking ahead to fall, Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission await the highly anticipated opening of Hilton Columbus Downtown’s second tower, which will make the hotel the largest in the state. Signature events such as the Columbus Greek Festival, Columbus Oktoberfest and HighBall Halloween will also bring increased visitation to the region. Citywide collaborations and preparations will ramp up prior to 2023 PCMA Convening Leaders, an annual event that brings together the world's business events professionals and will be held in Columbus in January. 

“Fall is a special time in Columbus, from the spectacular fall foliage and seasonal festivities to the electrifying energy brought by the Buckeyes as fans fill Ohio Stadium and return to Columbus for football season, said Experience Columbus Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer Sarah Townes. “We look forward to welcoming visitors and showcasing what’s new through our upcoming new Visitor Guide, a new trail launching in October and our Accessibility Guide, which we will continue to expand upon this fall.”  

About Experience Columbus 
Experience Columbus is the destination marketing organization for the Columbus region, dedicated to growing visitor spending and enhancing the visitor experience. Annually, visitors make 42.7 million trips to Greater Columbus for conventions, trade shows, sporting events and leisure visits, spending $6.6 billion and supporting nearly 75,000 jobs. Columbus is proud to be selected as the host city for 2023 PCMA Convening Leaders, which brings together the world's business events professionals, and the 2023 U.S. Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting. For more information, visit ExperienceColumbus.com.  

About the Greater Columbus Sports Commission 
The Greater Columbus Sports Commission’s mission is to rally Columbus to compete and win sporting events, providing a singular athlete and fan experience and positively impacting image, economy and lifestyle. Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2022, the Greater Columbus Sports Commission has brought nearly 600 new sporting events to Columbus, generating an estimated $625 million in direct visitor spending. For more information, visit ColumbusSports.org.  

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Media Contacts
Leah Berger, APR, CTA, Experience Columbus: lberger@experiencecolumbus.com | 614-222-6145
ec@fahlgren.com