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Tourism Contributing over $250 Million Annually to Grand Lake Economy
The Grand Lake Region Visitors Center announced today the findings of the semiannual “Ohio Visitor Economy” report, which showed that visitor spending in Auglaize
and Mercer Counties generated $267.9 million in economic impact to the two-county
region in 2023.
“This data is just a validation of the resurgence of the travel economy in our area in the
last several years,” said Matt Staugler, executive director of the Grand Lake Region
Visitors Center. “Our task as the convention & visitors bureau is to promote the area for
visitors to come and spend money here, and we’re very pleased to see this level of
impact on our local economy and for the attractions and businesses in Auglaize and
Mercer Counties.”
The “Ohio Visitor Economy” report is commissioned by TourismOhio, in partnership with
local convention & visitors bureaus across the state, and completed by Tourism
Economics, a division of Oxford Economics.
The report showed an increase in direct sales volume of nearly 6.5% from 2021, from
$150.5 million to $160.2 million in Auglaize and Mercer Counties. It also found that a
total of 3,264 jobs are supported by visitor spending in the region, which accounts for
over 5.5% of all the jobs in the two-county area. Visitor spending, visitor supported jobs,
and business sales generated $34.1 million in tax revenue in 2023.
“Visitors coming to our area not only benefit our economy, but it can also be that first
touchpoint to potentially entice them to take a job in the area or relocate here with their
families,” said Staugler. “That’s the ‘halo effect’ tourism has in the economic
development sense – it’s the first step of possibly more investment in a place they
discover and enjoy.”
More information on the Grand Lake Region can be found at www.seemore.org.