CLEVELAND — After the COVID-19 pandemic caused a drop in travel in 2020, tourism in Cuyahoga County bounced back in 2021.
On Tuesday, Destination Cleveland, the destination marketing and management organization for Cuyahoga County, released its statistics for the 2021 calendar year. Of note, Destination Cleveland reported 16.1 million visits, marking a 17 percent increase from 2020, which resulted in $5.4 billion in direct sales -- a 23 percent increase from the year prior -- and a $9.3 billion economic impact.
“The recovery of Cuyahoga County’s travel and tourism industry is well underway as all key performance indicators returned to an upward trajectory in 2021 – from visits and spending to employment and taxes generated,” David Gilbert, president and CEO, Destination Cleveland, said in a statement. “Travel and tourism remains a key industry for Cleveland’s future. Our recovery to 2019 levels is on pace for 2024, though facing headwinds from inflation, continued staffing challenges and supply chain disruption. Despite these challenges, we are laser focused on stewarding the recovery in collaboration with the region’s hospitality businesses and our civic partners. Together, we will return the industry to its position as a growth sector.”
The county's numbers come one year after Destination Cleveland reported a 30 percent drop in visits amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Cuyahoga County's increase in visitors was higher than the state of Ohio's 9 percent rebound, but still trailed the United States' domestic visitation growth rate of 28 percent.
Destination Cleveland also noted that tourism resulted in $3.1 billion in employment income for locals through about 64,000 jobs in Cuyahoga County, which accounted for about 7 percent of all jobs in the county. Tourism also generated $1.3 billion in federal, state and local taxes, resulting in a savings of nearly $1,200 in taxes for each Cuyahoga County household.
“Visitors drive a significant portion of the Cleveland economy with $5.4 billion in business activity supporting 64,000 jobs. The recovery thus far is a testament to Cleveland’s enduring attractiveness to visitors as well as its competitive strength,” said Adam Sacks, president of Tourism Economics. “While the broader economy faces uncertainty and the prospect of a recession in 2023, the Cleveland visitor economy is well-positioned to prevail.”
As for 2022, Destination Cleveland says indicators show that Cuyahoga County’s travel and tourism recovery is on pace with regional drive markets and only slightly trailing the United States overall.