Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company, released its annual report on the economic impact of visitors to New York, which highlighted a full recovery in both visitor volumes and visitor spending. The swift recovery in 2021 allowed the visitor economy in Dutchess County to fully rebound in 2022 with over $706 million in visitor spending in the form of travel-related expenses from lodging, food and beverages, recreation, transportation and retail.
The report showed visitors spent 11.7% more, equating to an additional $74 million in 2022, setting a record total originally set in 2019. 2022 visitor spending was nearly 5% higher than 2019 which capped 10 consecutive years of growth. DTI’s award-winning campaigns capitalized on the ‘revenge travel’ trend, additional grant funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the county’s biggest attractions fully reopening at capacity, to attract visitors from New York City, the surrounding tri-state area, as well as other drivable origin markets like Boston, Mass., Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, Pa. International visitors also played a large role in last year’s recovery as the United States’ borders fully reopened and COVID-19 travel restrictions were lifted.
Food and beverage sales continued to be the top area of visitor spending in 2022, bringing $210 million to county restaurants, eateries, craft beverage destinations and more. Dutchess County is home to premier attractions like The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, over 30 breweries, wineries, distilleries, cideries and meaderies, and farms harvesting the freshest produce and ingredients for local restaurants and beyond. With the CIA Chef Finder, a digital passport, visitors can explore more than 30 establishments run by CIA-trained chefs. The Hudson Valley was recently named one of the “5 Culinary Destinations In The USA That Are Set To Take The Food Scene By Storm” by Travel+Leisure India & South Asia. For the first time, retail and service stations spending moved into the third spot behind food and beverage and lodging.
“With unwavering dedication and a commitment to excellence, our staff have fostered a dynamic partnership with our board of directors, led by Kevin Allan, our creative agency FourthIdea and our thousands of tourism partners, resulting in record-breaking growth with over half a billion dollars in visitor spending,” praised DTI President & CEO Melaine Rottkamp. “Together, we've turned Dutchess County into the ultimate place to explore, experience and enjoy. Our success is a testament to the power of collaboration, and we thank every individual and organization who plays a vital role in our tourism and hospitality industry."
Dutchess Tourism, Inc. (DTI) is responsible for promoting the area to a global audience using a multi-pronged, research-based and targeted marketing strategy through digital, print, television and radio advertising, social media, printed brochures and guides and generation national and international media coverage. The organization was recently honored with four Tourism Excellence Awards from the NYS Tourism Industry Association, including Excellence in Overall Tourism Marketing, Excellence in Digital Marketing Award and Excellence in Innovations & Strategies to Address New/Unique/ Changing Markets. This year, DTI also completed its re-accreditation from Destinations International. The Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP) evaluates destination organizations’ successful compliance with a set of standards covering nearly all aspects related to the management and marketing of destination organizations including governance, finance, human resources, sales, communications, destination development and research.
In another strong indicator of recovery, Dutchess County collected a record-breaking $4,239,112 in hotel occupancy taxes in 2022—18% more than in 2021. Visitors contributed $51.1 million in local taxes and $37.2 million in state taxes for a total of $88.4 million. If all that visitor spending went away, each Dutchess County household would need to pay an additional $791 to replace state and local taxes contributed by visitors to our economy.
From hotel and restaurant staff to event planners and museum educators, tourism supported 9,532 jobs in Dutchess in 2022. Making up 8.8% of all labor income in the county, tourism-related jobs brought in $377 million in wages, money which is then reinvested back into the community in the form of groceries, rent and property taxes, clothing, gas and other daily expenses.
Dutchess County Executive William F. X. O'Neil said, “Dutchess Tourism has been an invaluable partner in our collective mission to enhance the visitor experience by elevating our tourism offerings, resulting in new visitors as well as those that return time and time again. The continued success of the local economy depends on attracting visitors, creating jobs and stimulating economic growth. By investing in tourism, we're not just promoting our beautiful county; we're investing in the future of our communities, the prosperity of our businesses and the well-being of our residents.”
Dutchess Tourism operates as an independent 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization that is the officially designated destination marketing organization (DMO) for Dutchess County. DTI also supports the county’s tourism-related businesses through education and training, promotional assistance and advocacy. The community is invited to participate in the Dutchess Tourism Ambassador and Guest Service Gold® Tourism Programs, which offers, free for a limited time, workforce training programs to Dutchess residents and employees. These professional certification programs educate individuals how to build valuable customer service skills that lead to career advancement, higher wages and networking opportunities. Collectively, when front-line staff members are inspired to turn every visitor encounter into a positive experience, customers are more likely to return in the future and also share their experience with others, boosting tourism and visitor spending overall.
