More visitors come to Columbus, stay longer
More people are visiting the Columbus area, according to 2018 figures released by Experience Columbus, which markets and promotes the city and surrounding area as a destination for tourists, conventions and other events.
The area last year attracted 41.9 million visitors, a 1.9%, or 800,000 visitor increase, compared with 2017, based on data from researchers Longwoods International.
The number of overnight visits in 2018 grew by 300,000 to 9.6 million, a 1.9% increase from 2017.
Of those staying overnight, 47% were visiting friends and relatives; 33% came for leisure visits, including concerts, sporting events or festivals; 16% came for business trips, including meetings and conventions; and 3% for business/leisure trips.
Day trips in 2018 grew by 500,000, also up by 1.9% over 2017.
The top five activities of visitors to Columbus were shopping, bars and nightlife, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, restaurants and museums.
“We’re also able to extend their stays for a little longer,” Brian Ross, Experience Columbus’ CEO, said Wednesday during the organization’s monthly meeting at the Hollywood Casino Columbus. The average length of stay increased from 2.2 nights to 2.4 nights, he reported.
Tourism is an important part of the region’s economy, with visitors spending an estimated $7 billion annually, and the industry supplying 78,000 jobs, including those in restaurants, hotels, transportation, stores and related businesses.
The tourist industry is important enough that Experience Columbus staff members and other local leaders worked for years to attract the annual meeting of the American Society of Association Executives, which will be held here next month.
It’s a big deal because the group represents hundreds of other groups that book meetings and conventions in cities. Members will be staying in 16 Downtown hotels and two Grandview Yard hotels. Springfield, Ohio, native John Legend and Wheeling, W.va.-area native Brad Paisley, who had a marketing deal with Nationwide, will perform at separate shows.
Bill Behrens, Experience Columbus’ director of convention services, said 2,260 association executives will be here, 81% of whom have never been to Columbus. Giving them a good look at the city might spur them to book meetings in Columbus in future years, he said. Cathy Lyttle, Experience Columbus’ board chairwoman, called it “a performance for the critics.”
Ross said Downtown hotel revenue has been fairly flat this year, with bed-tax revenue up by 1%, compared with 5-7% increases in previous years.
Chris Coffin, general manager of the Hilton Columbus Downtown, said hotels undergoing renovations might be a reason behind that, because it means fewer rooms are available. Ross said crews are finishing up a renovation of the Crowne Plaza, while the Hyatt Regency has been undergoing replacement of its heating and cooling system.