Ohio Tourism Month

Posted by ThePlus - 05.02.2010

May is officially Ohio Tourism Month. While the entire state supports a robust tourism industry, The Plus region is one of the most crucial components to this economic sector. As Ohio Tourism Month celebrates all there is to do throughout the state, it is important to understand the impact Northeast Ohio’s tourism industry has on our economy.

Surprising to many, tourism represents the fourth largest employer in The Plus region, accounting for 170,728 jobs. It is behind only medical, government and manufacturing in terms of employment. Twenty-nine million visitors, from at least 60 miles away, come to The Plus region each year. Additionally, tourism in The Plus provides a $13.9 billion impact, representing 36% of the state’s total tourism impact.

As The Plus region is a great place for doing business, the tourism industry benefits from the many tradeshows and conferences that come to the area. Cleveland recently hosted the 2010 North American Material Handling and Logistics Show (NA 2010), which is the largest tradeshow in Ohio. Attracting 15,000 attendees, the event not only spurred networking but it also enabled people from across the country and the world to experience The Plus region first -hand. At night, attendees enjoyed our local amenities by flooding regional restaurants and hotels. The next large show coming to The Plus is the ACN event, which will bring another 10,000 people to the area this summer.

As Ohio Tourism Month gets underway, the Ohio Tourism Department has planned its “Too Much Fun For Just One Day! Mobile Tour.” The tour, which starts at Cincinnati’s Flying Pig Marathon, is scheduled to make stops at Cleveland’s Great American Rib Cook-Off and Music Festival and Youngstown’s Summer Festival of the Arts.

While the Mobile Tour is a great way to honor Ohio’s tourism industry, there are plenty of things to do year-round. One of the largest events taking place this summer is the Tall Ships Festival, beginning July 7 at the Port of Cleveland. The four-day festival will be a sailing spectacle the entire family can enjoy.

If you’re still looking for a way to celebrate May as Ohio Tourism Month, click here to peruse the Calendar of Events to see everything there is to experience or visit one of our local CVB Web sites by clicking here.

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