DAYTON — The amount of revenue coming into Montgomery County from tourism sales is not at pre-pandemic levels, but is heading in the right direction, the Dayton Convention and Visitors Bureau president and CEO said.
“Now we’re seeing a rebound,” Jacquelyn Powell, the convention and visitors bureau president and CEO, told News Center 7′s Brandon Lewis on Thursday.
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Visitors to Dayton and Montgomery County contributed $1.4 billion in sales in 2021, compared to $1.1 billion in 2020, a study from Tourism Economics (headquartered Oxford, England) and TourismOhio found.
“Conventions, travel and tourism are big business for Montgomery County and serve as a vital source of economic development for our community, as well as an important source of per household tax burden relief,” Powell said in a prepared statement released Thursday. The Tourism Economics study also indicates the following:
◊ 22,455 jobs in Montgomery County in 2021 were supported by visitor spending, accounting for 7.2% of all jobs in the county
◊ Visitor activity sustained 15,609 direct jobs and an additional 6,845 indirect and induced jobs in the county
◊ Visitor spending, visitor supported jobs, and business sales generated $332 million in government revenues in 2021 (federal taxes $168.7 million; state taxes $94.4 million; local taxes $68.8 million)
◊ Each household in Montgomery County would need to be taxed an additional $718 to replace the visitor-generated taxes received by state and local governments in 2021
“Montgomery County direct sales trends are nearing recovery to the pre-pandemic levels of 2019,” Powell said. “We are pleased that things moved significantly in the right direction in 2021. The Dayton Convention & Visitors Bureau is constantly promoting Destination Dayton to both the consumer and meeting planner audiences as the ideal location for hosting conventions, military reunions, amateur youth and sports tournaments, faith, association, fraternal, corporate, education or social events, as well as a wonderful destination to visit.”.
She described 2021 as “a year of recovery.”
“Tourism is big business.” Powell said. “I think many times in our own community we don’t look at tourism as being an industry, if you will, in the Greater Dayton area, but it certainly is.”
The convention groups and the businesses that come into the community to hold their meetings and events, youth and amateur sporting activities, did not take place during the early season of the pandemic, if you will, and those have now returned, she said.
One of the largest events to return was The First Four of the NCAA Division I men’s tournament played in Dayton as the official start to March Madness, usually a huge revenue booster for the local economy. The numbers from that two-day session are still being calculated to determine the impact on area tourism sales.
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