Baltimore tourism drives the region’s economy and quality of life in many ways including visitor spending, job creation and tax generation. But our industry’s catalytic impacts do not end there. Use the research, tools and tips outlined here to learn more about the power of tourism and why Baltimore meetings matter.
The Value of Tourism
Baltimore’s tourism industry delivers a variety of economic and quality of life benefits, including:
- Job Creation: The tourism industry is a major source of employment in the Baltimore region, sustaining 85,000 people and offering a path to economic advancement.
- Visitor Spending: In 2018, visitor spending in Baltimore was $5.9 billion. More than half of that spending went to support the city’s hotels, restaurants and bars.
- Tax Generation: Last year, tourism in Baltimore generated $306 million in city tax revenue, which includes $36 million in hotel tax revenue.
To learn more about our organization and how Visit Baltimore supports the city’s tourism industry, please click here.
Key Issues
Our team is dedicated to serving as a liaison to our elected officials and stakeholders on the topics that matter most to our industry. Our agenda includes:
- COVID-19 Industry Support: The U.S. Travel Association is now estimating that the COVID-19 pandemic will result in more than $900 billion in losses to our industry, which amounts to seven times the losses we experienced after 9/11. We know from experience that to recover from such an economic disaster will take an unprecedented level of investment from all levels of government. We are actively seeking that support from the state and federal governments to support our members and stakeholders. Find out how you can help by contacting Mia Blom at [email protected].
- Baltimore Convention Center Renovation: Visit Baltimore remains supportive of the efforts of our City, State and civic partners in exploring the best and most efficient ways to keep the Baltimore Convention Center (BCC) relevant to customers and the local community. We await the results of the forthcoming Maryland Stadium Authority study on how best to proceed with a BCC modernization.
- Continued funding for Visit Baltimore’s activities: Visit Baltimore is a results-oriented agency that generates direct value back to the city, to the economy and to the region at large. Our organization receives 40% of all hotel room taxes. For every dollar invested in our organization, Visit Baltimore delivers $21 dollars back to the city.
Learn More
Don’t just take our word for it. Here are some more resources that explain the power of tourism:
- Maryland Office of Tourism Development: The Research unit of the Maryland Office of Tourism Development provides quantitative and qualitative research analysis to support the State’s mission of continued economic growth from the tourism industry, as well as broader support to the Department of Commerce.
- U.S. Travel Association: Discover additional economic impact statistics for your specific MD Legislative District as provided by US Travel with the Economic Impact Calculator.
