CLEVELAND — Fresh off of recent economic successes from the total solar eclipse and 2024 NCAA Women's Final Four in the region, Destination Cleveland released its visitation and economic impact metrics for Cuyahoga County from 2023.
The organization announced that leisure and business travel generated 18.34 million visits to Cuyahoga County in 2023, which is a 2.2% increase from the previous year and mirrors the state of Ohio's growth rate of 2.3%.
"The year-over-year increase is identical to the County’s 2019 (pre-pandemic) growth rate and reflects a return to sustainable, pre-pandemic growth," Destination Cleveland stated in its release.
Here is a closer look at the data:
2023 Direct Sales and Economic Impact
"Travel and tourism in Cuyahoga County accounted for $6.7 billion in direct sales and generated a total economic impact of $10.9 billion when indirect and induced spending are included. This increase in direct spending represents a 3.7% increase from 2022 and is slightly greater than 2019’s pre-pandemic direct sales growth of 3.3%."
2023 Employment, Taxes Generated and Resident Tax Offset
"More than 68,100 locals whose jobs support tourism in Cuyahoga County took home $3.7 billion in employment income, a 6.6% increase over 2022. Tourism-related jobs account for 7% of all jobs in the county."
Destination Cleveland also noted that tourism generated $1.5 billion in federal, state and local taxes in 2023, "resulting in a savings of $1,380 in taxes for each Cuyahoga County household."
Comparing 2023 to pre-pandemic figures
Destination Cleveland reports that "all key performance indicators for Cuyahoga County's tourism industry increased for a third straight year, infusing money into the economy."
- 2023 visit volume reached 94% of pre-pandemic (2019) visits.
- 2023 visitor direct spending reached 104% of 2019 levels.
- Employment income in 2023 reached 132% of 2019 levels.
“In 2023, Cuyahoga County’s tourism industry moved beyond recovery and continued to increase its value to our region’s economy,” said David Gilbert, president and CEO of Destination Cleveland, in a statement. “Additionally, the consistent and continued growth in key metrics illustrates the impact and importance of the Cleveland visitor brand, which we launched 10 years ago. Since that launch, we’ve seen growth not only in visitation, direct spending and employment income but also in consideration of Cleveland as a place to visit. As the steward of the industry, Destination Cleveland continues to collaborate with our hospitality and civic partners to positively impact the region’s long-term equitable growth.”
So how is 2024 shaping up?
"When looking at 2024 lodging performance data (the most real-time indicator for the industry), Cuyahoga County’s tourism recovery is on pace with competitor drive markets and only slightly trails the U.S. overall," Destination Cleveland noted. Here's a closer look:
- 2024 year-to-date Hotel Occupancy (through Aug. 2024) is 62.1%, which is 98% of 2019 (pre-pandemic) numbers. This positions Cleveland at third highest in its competitive set (Indianapolis, Detroit, Cincinnati, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Milwaukee) and slightly below the national YTD occupancy rate of 63.9%.
- 2024 YTD Hotel ADR (average daily rate) is $136.92 – putting Cleveland third highest among its peers. This ADR is 128% of 2019 levels. The national year-to-date ADR is $158.18.
In September, Destination Cleveland revealed 12 events related to the April 8 total solar eclipse generated $24.6 million across Cuyahoga, Lorain and Lake counties.
“Direct spending accounts for $15.1 million of the $24.6 million economic impact,” according to Destination Cleveland. “Indirect and induced spending related to the events and visitation accounts for the remaining $9.5 million.”
According to the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, the Final Four from April 4-7 "provided Northeast Ohio with $32.9 million in direct spend." The numbers were calculated by the Destinations International Event Impact Calendar.