CLEVELAND — If you felt like Cuyahoga County was busier than normal in 2022, it wasn't your imagination.
According to Destination Cleveland, Cuyahoga County outperformed the rest of the state of Ohio in visitation percentage in 2022. Data taken from the Oxford Economics "Tourism Economics" division, the county saw an increase in daytime visitors by 12% and overnight visitors by 11% last year.
Overall for 2022, Cuyahoga County saw 17.9 million visits, a 12% increase from 2021 and roughly 92% of pre-pandemic numbers. This also outpaced Ohio's statewide growth of 6%.
“2022 was a new beginning for the travel and tourism industry – we’re back on track as an industry that infuses money into the economy and contributes to positive perceptions of Cleveland as a place to live and work,” said David Gilbert, president and CEO of Destination Cleveland. “Destination Cleveland, as the steward of the industry, remains steadfastly committed to leading the industry to its pre-pandemic success levels as quickly as possible. Through collaboration, our visitor economy can and will contribute to the region’s long-term equitable growth.”
Destination Cleveland provided more statistics on Cuyahoga County visitation that can be seen below:
Direct Sales and Economic Impact
- $6.4 billion in direct sales
- 19% increase in direct spending (slight increase from 2019 numbers)
Employment, Taxes Generated and Resident Tax Offset
- $1.5 billion in federal, state and local taxes
- Savings of nearly $1,330 in taxes for each Cuyahoga County household
Recovery to 2019 Performance and 2023 Outlook
- 2022 employment of 69,200 jobs produced by travel and tourism nearly matched 2019 numbers (99% of 2019 total)
Over the last decade, Destination Cleveland says overall visits to the county are up 11%, with direct spending rising by 31% in that time and employment income increasing by a whopping 61%. Tax revenues are also up 53%.
“Visitors continued to help drive the Cleveland economy in 2022, spending $6.4 billion throughout Cuyahoga County and supporting the local community through jobs, wages, and taxes,” said Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics. “While growth in the U.S. economy is expected to slow in 2024, the recovery in business activity and sustained strength in leisure travel should allow Cleveland’s visitor economy to continue to grow.”
While visitor volume did rise to 92% of pandemic levels, it did trail the national rate of 97% and Ohio's statewide rate of 103%. However, per the agency, hotel occupancy to date in 2023 is currently outpacing national growth while revenue per room has already well surpassed 2019 levels.