Tourists stay and spend

Thursday, 25 August 2005

Visitors spend more, stay longer; waterpark resorts get the credit.

By TOM JACKSON
tomjackson@sanduskyregister.com

The lure of the roller coaster and the waterpark pool is apparently bigger than ever.

Tourism spending jumped nearly 20 percent in Erie County last year and tourists also lingered longer in the area, according to a report released Wednesday by the Sandusky/Erie County Visitors Convention Bureau Inc.

"It helps our local community recognize how important tourism is to Erie County," said Joan Van Offeren, executive director of the bureau. "We're fortunate to have such quality attractions to develop this kind of business."

The report said spending by travelers to Erie County rose from about $1.28 billion in 2003 to about $1.53 billion in 2004. Tourists increased their lengths of stay in local hotel rooms from 2.7 nights per group to 3.4 nights.

Full-time equivalent employment directly linked to tourism rose from 25,000 in 2003 to 29,100 in 2004, the report says, while wages produced by tourism went from $389.3 million to $469.8 million. The number of rooms tourists could rent from hotels and other businesses offering lodging rose from 5,786 to 6,107 rooms.

When jobs indirectly linked to tourism are included, tourism supported a total of 43,500 jobs, the report said.

Van Offeren said that the rise of indoor waterparks in the area probably has helped swell the tourism numbers.

She said the numbers also suggest that word is getting out that Erie County has more to offer than Cedar Point.

"I think it's through cooperative partnerships that we're extending the message," Van Offeren said. "Part of that is Cedar Point's cooperation as well as other major partnerships."

Tourists also generated lots of tax revenues for government, the report said.

It said that tourists directly generated $69.5 million in state taxes and $40.9 million in local taxes in 2004.

The report was prepared for Erie County and the Ohio Division of Travel and Tourism by Rovelstad & Associates of Racine, Wis., and Longwoods International of Toronto, Ontario.

FunCoast.com is your online guide to summer fun for Cedar Point, the LakeErie Islands and Sandusky area. Our site offers up-to-date information on area attractions, restaurants, hotels, gasoline prices, ferry schedules, swimming, birding and fishing, along with a complete listing of events happening in the Sandusky/Cedar Point area. To use our Webcam and zoom in on Cedar Point's rollercoasters, go to http://funcam.funcoast.com

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