CLEVELAND — New data released Tuesday by Destination Cleveland shows visitors to Cuyahoga County spent a record $6.9 billion in 2024.
That’s a 4% increase, outpacing inflation by 1.3%.
This was generated through 18.6 million leisure and business visits to the county, a 1.5% increase.
The study found that continued visitation growth has a significant impact on Cuyahoga County’s economy as direct visitor spending injects new money into the community and generates substantial tax revenue.
Locals benefit through increased savings on their tax bill; the $1.6 billion in tax revenue generated by visitor activity resulted in a $1,460 tax savings for each Cuyahoga County household.
The total economic impact of travel and tourism to Cuyahoga County topped $11.4 billion in 2024. In the last decade, the economic impact of visits to Cuyahoga County has grown by nearly 40%, again outpacing inflation over the time period (36.3%).
“Travel and tourism is a powerful growth engine for Cleveland, driving billions of dollars in local impact and supporting tens of thousands of jobs and families,” said David Gilbert, president and CEO of Destination Cleveland. “Year after year, more travelers are choosing Cleveland, which reflects the region’s growing reputation as a must-visit destination.”
Gilbert is pointing to the halo effect of positive travel experiences on consideration of a city as a place to live and work.
“We must evolve to give travelers a reason to return, attract new residents and secure businesses that generate jobs and diversify the economy for the long-term. Continual investment and development, like the nearly $5 billion of investments planned or underway along our waterfronts, is essential to Cleveland’s future.”
Business travel contributes to sustained growth; day vs. overnight visitation stays consistent. The year-over-year increase in visitation was driven in part by 7% growth in business visits in 2024.
A significant segment of business travel that contributes to both the short-term and long-term impacts of visitation is meetings and conventions.
In 2024, over 300 meetings and conventions booked by Destination Cleveland brought more than 208,000 people to Cleveland and infused nearly $200 million into the local economy. Business travel serves as a first exposure to Cleveland for many visitors – showcasing what Cleveland offers as a destination and inspiring future leisure visits.
Data from Tourism Economics, a division of Oxford Economics, shows that day visitors represented 58% of the total visits to the region, while 42% were overnight visitors, which is consistent with Cuyahoga County’s visit segmentation since 2019. Both day and overnight visitor volumes grew – 1.4% and 1.7% respectively.
In 2024, approximately 70,200 local jobs were supported by the visitor economy – including more than 20,000 in the food and beverage industry. Locals in these jobs took home $3.8 billion in employment income, a 3.8% increase over 2023.
Travel and tourism support one of every 14 jobs in Cuyahoga County.
