Columbus doesn’t have mountains, oceans or internationally known landmarks, but that doesn’t mean that tourists are non-existent in our city. In fact, Experience Columbus released a report yesterday that highlights the fact that economic impact from visitor spending is up 11% in the past two years to a grand total of $8.7 billion, generated by 37.6 million visitors.
That spending is spread across multiple support industries including retail, food and beverage businesses, transportation services, entertainment and lodging. Collectively, the businesses serving the visitor industry provide over 71,000 jobs in Franklin County.
“We’re getting more people to take a look at our city as a conference destination,” said Experience Columbus CEO Brian Ross in an interview with Columbus Underground last year where he discussed the future of the industry. He went on to explain that some of the short term goals for the organization included working to fill the calendar at the Columbus Convention Center facilities with new and expanded events, such as the ongoing bid to host the Democratic National Convention in 2016.
The Center for Architecture and Design recently hosted a panel discussion on the topic of the “Image of Our City”, that discusses the importance of branding and national recognition when looking to attract new visitors and conventions to Columbus as well as new residents and businesses. Mike Brown, the Director of Public Affairs and Development at Experience Columbus shared information from recent studies conducted by the organization, which can be viewed the following video of the full 54 minute conversation on the topic:
For ongoing discussion on tourism and conventions in Columbus, CLICK HERE to visit our Messageboard.
For more information, visit www.ExperienceColumbus.com.
Video still via Flicker-Lit Productions.