Press Release
According to the latest economic impact report from Tourism Ohio, tourist and visitors spent $27.5 million in Adams County in 2021. That is an increase of 14.6 percent over 2020 when during the pandemic sales reached $24 million. In 2019 pre-pandemic sales reached $27.9 million. The latest figures represent continued increase in visitor spending up near 7 percent since 2017. Tourism spending in Adams County has increased over 16 percent during the past five years.
“Adams County tourism continues make strong economic gains as pointed out in this latest report from Tourism Ohio,” said Tom Cross, Executive Director of the Adams County Travel & Visitors Bureau. “To bolster the economic growth that this report shows, the last couple of years several new lodging establishments have opened to take advantage of the growing tourism market. Overnight lodging in Adams County is experiencing strong growth. Visitors are increasingly drawn to the Amish Community, hunting opportunities, outdoor recreation, natural history such as Serpent Mound, the Edge of Appalachia Preserve, hiking, canoeing, and nature preserves.”
In the just released report on the Economic Impact of Tourism in Adams County, tourism generated $49.6 million in 2021 both directly and indirectly. The report by the Tourism Ohio goes on to say that tourism in Adams County created $20.1 million in wages (up 24.8%) and $7.0 million (up 25%) in total tax revenues. The findings also say tourism is an integral and driving component of the Adams County economy employing 723 people representing a 12 percent increase in tourism employment since the last report. Tourism is a composite of various economic activities including recreation, retail, lodging, food and beverage.
Statewide visitors spent $35.1 billion across Ohio in 2021, generating $60.5 billion total economic impact from tourism in Ohio. Visits to Ohio destinations grew by 9.0 percent and hotel demand grew by 45.7 percent in 2021.
The Economic Impact Study on Tourism throughout the state is generated every two years by Ohio Development Services Office of Tourism Ohio.
Total Tourism Impact on Adams County for 2022 (2019 results in parentheses):
• $49.6 million in sales ($45.6 million)
• $20.1 million in wages and personal income ($16.1 million)
• $7.0 million in taxes ($5.6 million)
• 723 employed by tourism trade (644 employed)
Adams County tourism sustains 6.8% of all jobs in the county and according to the report, tourism created 502 direct and 221 indirect and induced jobs.
Southwest Ohio has a 24% share in Ohio tourism, including employment, and is the third largest generator of tourism dollars and earnings in Ohio. The northeast region leads the state in tourism. The largest generators of tourism in Ohio are Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus.
The $49.6 million in sales represents the largest growth in Adams County tourism to date. This is an 8.77 percent increase over the 2019 report when $45.6 million in sales was generated in Adams County as a result of tourism.
This continues the upward trend of tourism dollars flowing into Adams County. In 2015, $34 million in total business sales were generated by tourism; in 2021, $49.6 million, representing a nearly 45 percent increase in tourism dollars over the past six years.
Tourism sales in Adams County were again led by (1) Retail Sales, (2) Food & Beverage, (3) Transportation, (4) Recreation (hiking, hunting, outdoors), and (5) Lodging.
According to the report $1,376,539.00 in local county taxes were generated by tourism in Adams County and $12.1 million in direct household income.
For seven years in a row the 3% lodging tax received by the county as a result of overnight stays in Adams County has exceeded $50,000. That number has increased over the past 10 years and as it stands now represents a 56 percent growth in lodging since 2011. In 2021 lodging had its best year to date in Adams County generating $63,271.21 in lodging tax, a 22 percent increase over 2020.
“Over the past several years, the Bureau has used different marketing strategies,” said Cross. “We are currently improving our website, we continue to increase the Bureau’s social media presence, use imagery, engage with the media, improve access to visitor information, create visitor attractions, and build relationships with the Cincinnati market. Of course, leading the way through this tourism boom are the Amish shops, Serpent Mound, the many local lodging facilities, the Edge of Appalachia Preserve, hunting, hiking, canoeing and outdoor related activities, festivals and events that draw visitors. Despite some of the obvious setbacks we’ve encountered during the pandemic I expect the trend in Adams County tourism to continue upward for the foreseeable future. Overall tourism is adding jobs and improving the economy of Adams County.”