During a recent trip to Silver Dollar City, Gov. Jay Nixon announced Missouri set new tourism records in fiscal year 2016.
Citing figures from the fiscal year 2016 annual impact report by Tourism Economics, a division of Oxford Economics, Missouri welcomed 41.7 million visitors, a 3.2 percent increase from the previous record of 40.4 million in fiscal year 2015.
Overall, the tourism industry had a $16.5 billion economic impact on Missouri in fiscal year 2016, up from $15.9 billion in the previous fiscal year. During Gov. Jay Nixon’s administration, tourism’s total economic impact in Missouri has increased by 34 percent.
“Visitors to our state strengthen local communities and support hundreds of thousands of jobs, resulting in a multibillion industry here in Missouri,” Nixon said. “From the great outdoors, to bustling metropolises, to unique getaways in between, there’s something for everyone in Missouri.”
Additionally, tourism-related spending in Missouri increased to $13.1 billion in fiscal year ’16, up from $12.4 billion the previous fiscal year according to the Missouri Department of Revenue. Direct tourism-related employment also increased to 307,937 jobs, up from 297,129 in fiscal year ’15, according to the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.
Under Gov. Nixon’s administration, the Missouri Division of Tourism has awarded $25.6 million dollars in matching grants to local destination marketing organizations. The efforts of those organizations are critical to Missouri’s success in the highly competitive tourism industry.
The fiscal year ’17 budget follows the Nixon’s recommendation to include an additional $3 million to expand the division of tourism’s marketing efforts to bring more visitors to Missouri.
Earlier this year, the governor also announced that attendance at the Missouri State Fair increased in 2016 with 356,153 fairgoers visiting, an increase of 4,000 attendees from 2015 figures.
Missouri State Parks also saw record guests in 2016 with, at last count, more than 19.2 million guests visiting state parks and historic sites. Before Nixon’s administration, Missouri State Parks had experienced a 10-year decline in attendance.
To learn about travel and tourism opportunities in Missouri, visit www.visitmo.com and www.mostateparks.com.