Richland County’s Tourism Economy Bounces Back
2021 Impact Exceeded Pre-pandemic Levels
Mansfield, OHIO – As the nation’s travel industry continues to recover, tourism in Richland County rebounded faster than expected and is having a greater economic impact than in much of the region.
According to the latest economic impact figures for travel spending in Richland County (see methodology below), total visitor spending was $404.5 million. That’s an increase of 15.4% over 2019. Thus, overall impact exceeded pre-pandemic impact numbers.
“That was a bit of a surprise,” said Destination Mansfield-Richland County President, Lee Tasseff. “We knew our industry was recovering well, but we’re thrilled to see that visitor spending in our county surpassed 2019 levels. That speaks volumes for the resiliency of our local tourism economy.”
The impact goes beyond spending. All those visitor dollars pumped into Richland County supported 5,094 jobs maintaining at least the #6 ranking in employment in the county. In addition, the industry generated $11.6 million in local taxes for public services all residents rely on like police, fire, water & sewer. That translates to $562 in local tax relief per household for Richland County residents. “That figure shows the direct relationship to the county residents of the benefits of a solid tourism economy.”
Percentage of tourism supported greater than most counties in Northeast Ohio
With more than 8% of local employment attributed to tourism, travel industry jobs make up a higher percentage of overall county employment than all but four of 21 Northeast Ohio counties. In other words, the tourism industry produces more jobs per capita in Richland County than it does in 16 other Northeast Ohio, including Cuyahoga.
Total Economic Impact………………………..$404.5M
Jobs Supported………………………………….5,094M
Local Taxes Generated…………………………$11.6M
Taxes saved per household……………………$562
Tasseff is enthusiastic about the future of Richland County overall. He pointed to the new community-wide branding effort that is just beginning, including the partnerships it is strengthening and the enhanced marketing tools and efforts that will come from it.
“Every community needs to compete every day for its share of attention, customers and investment. That can best be accomplished by clearly articulating and managing a community’s brand, said Tasseff. “Addressing this need for a destination’s promotion benefits every person in a community. It is a common good – an essential investment – that has the power to develop opportunities and build quality of life that benefits all the residents of a community.”
“Destination Mansfield-Richland County has always worked to promote economic development and move our community forward,” Tasseff added. “Seeing the tangible results of those efforts in the resulting visitor spending, jobs and tax revenue is proof of our success and the lasting positive impact our work has on the local economy.”
Given the latest economic impact results, the importance of concerts, special events, attractions, hotels, restaurants and retail, along with improvements at Mansfield Lahm Airport, will continue to rise as economic drivers for Richland County.