Great news for Omaha residents: tourists have returned in full force. Why should you care? Tourism strengthens our community’s local businesses, creates jobs, stimulates our local economy, and feeds our tax base.
According to independent research by Tourism Economic, an Oxford Economics Company, a total of 13.5 million travelers visited Omaha last year, a 6% increase from 2021. Omaha tourism even surpassed pre-pandemic numbers with 100,000 more visitors than in 2019.
Out-of-towner spending totaled nearly $1.5 billion in 2022, 16% higher than the previous year and 8% more than in 2019. Tourists spent $17 million more shopping in our retail stores year over year, $38 million more at our restaurants and bars, and a whopping $51 million more at our local attractions.
All this spending helps support jobs for our friends, family, and neighbors. More than 15,000 people in our community rely on tourism to support their livelihood. That’s one out of every 30 jobs. However, this is the only tourism statistic that still lags behind pre-pandemic numbers. Staffing shortages continue to challenge our local tourism industry, a trend felt nationwide.
As we move into a new year, projections are optimistic, not the double digit record-breaking growth of the last two years, but healthy growth spurred by a city dedicated to being a travel-worthy destination.
Find more information about Omaha’s exciting tourism at visitomaha.com/wtll.
Deborah Ward is the executive director of Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau.
This article originally appeared in the December 2023/January 2024 issue of B2B Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
This article originally appeared in the December 2023/January 2024 issue of B2B Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
