Montgomery, Ala. -- Gov. Kay Ivey announced on Tuesday, May 22, that Alabama saw a $1 billion increase in tourism in 2017, hitting a record of $14.3 billion in expenditures. This has helped to increase jobs by 7,399 to have around 186,906 employees in the state.
The tourism industry grew by 7 percent and brought around 810,000 more visitors. The state of Alabama saw 26 million visitors for the first time ever.
“Every part of the state saw dramatic growth, from the beautiful mountains of the Tennessee Valley to the stunning white sand beaches along the Gulf Coast," Governor Ivey said. “Most communities generated more revenue and gained jobs through hosting meetings, conventions, sporting events and visits to museums, among other attractions. These gains were especially seen in those areas which have invested in sporting venues which attract youth sports tournaments.”
According to Alabama Tourism Director, Lee Sentell, the growth in 2017 is the highest growth in the industry since the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf Coast. At that time, tourists were only spending around $9 billion.
“This is such great news for the state of Alabama. In 2017, we had more visitors than at any other time in our history – visitors whose spending added one billion dollars more to the state economy than the year before,” said Sentell.
The tourism industry brings great revenue for the state and local government. The hospitality industry brought in around $627.5 million in state taxes in addition to $251.6 million in local revenue, making a total of $879 million, which is up from last year by 5 percent. There was also $70 million earned in state lodging taxes.
Montgomery economist, Dr. Keivan Deravi, stated that without those extra taxes, each Alabama household would end up having to pay $467 extra in taxes to maintain the state's current levels of service.
