2025 State of the Visitor Industry: First Quarter Report

 COLUMBUS, Ohio—The 2025 State of the Visitor Industry: First Quarter Report made available today by Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission shows a strong start to the year for Columbus’ travel economy with year over year growth across all key performance indicators. The city’s restaurants, attractions and experiences garnered numerous national accolades, and visitors were invited to enjoy spring break in Ohio’s capital through a new advertising campaign. 

“There is so much momentum as we kick off 2025, from the national attention The Ohio State University Buckeyes National Championship brought to hosting the first-ever NHL Stadium Series at Ohio Stadium in March,” said Experience Columbus President and CEO Brian Ross, ECI. “The stats shared from our first quarter continue to show the power of the local travel economy and why Columbus is a must-visit destination whether you’re coming for sports, business or leisure.” 

In January, three Columbus chefs, restaurants and bars received prestigious James Beard Award nominations, further adding to the buzz around the city’s culinary scene. Additionally, during the first quarter Columbus earned more than a dozen USA Today 10Best nominations and honors, including COSI being named the best science museum in the country for the fifth time. Columbus was also recognized as a top place to visit for spring by The Points Guys, USA Today and Midwest Living.  
 
From Jan. 1 through March 31, 2025, Columbus hosted a total of 86 conventions, trade shows and sporting events. The biggest weekend of the first quarter came in March as Columbus welcomed both the Arnold Sports Festival and—for the first time ever—the NHL Stadium Series featuring the Columbus Blue Jackets at Ohio Stadium. Combined, the events brought in nearly $40 million in direct visitor spending. According to event organizers, 105,000 people attended the Arnold Sports Festival, which celebrated its 37th anniversary in Columbus, and brought together visitors from all 50 states and more than 80 countries. The NHL Stadium Series was attended by 94,751 people—the second largest crowd in the league's history of outdoor games. 

“Columbus has waited a long time to watch the Blue Jackets play at Ohio Stadium, so it was amazing to see that become a reality thanks to a great partnership with the NHL, the Blue Jackets and Ohio State,” said Greater Columbus Sports Commission CEO and President Linda Logan, ECI. “We’re proud that Columbus now has one of the best attended outdoor hockey games ever. Hosting the Stadium Series and the Arnold Classic on the same weekend really showed off our city’s status as a top sports event host.” 

Another highlight from the first quarter was hosting the United States Institute for Theatre Technology’s Annual Conference & Stage Expo in March. The event brought together 4,500 attendees, filled more than 5,600 rooms and had an estimated $3.5M in direct visitor spending.  

From Jan. 1 to March 31, 2025, the STR report, which provides premium data benchmarking, analytics, and marketplace insights for the global hospitality industry, shows that all key performance metrics grew compared to the same period last year.   

*RevPAR is a hotel industry performance metric, which is calculated by multiplying a hotel’s ADR by its occupancy rate. 
 
Bed tax collections from Jan. 1 through March 31, 2025, totaled $11.2M, up 12% over the same period in 2024, according to reports from the Office of City of Columbus Auditor Megan Kilgore.  

To view past Experience Columbus and Greater Columbus Sports Commission quarterly reports, visit ExperienceColumbus.com/Reports.  
 
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 53.2 million trips to Greater Columbus for conventions, trade shows, sporting events and leisure visits, spending $8.2 billion and supporting more than 82,500 jobs. 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. Since 2002, the Greater Columbus Sports Commission has hosted more than 1,250 sporting events, generating an estimated $1.7 billion in direct visitor spending. For more information, visit ColumbusSports.org. 

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Media Contacts:  
Leah Berger, APR, ECI: lberger@experiencecolumbus.com | 614-222-6145 
Cameron Tirado, ECI: ctirado@experiencecolumbus.com | 610-389-6833