T O U R I S M IS GROWING
Tourism is big business in Buffalo and Erie County and it’s getting bigger with each passing year. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested in new tourism assets and attractions in the last ten years, in projects as diverse as Canalside, the Richardson Olmsted Complex, the Buffalo Zoo, HarborCenter, the Curtiss Hotel, Riverworks and the Martin House Complex. More than a dozen new hotel projects – large and small, city and suburban – have just opened their doors or are in various stages of planning and construction. Our region’s tourism industry employs more people, supports more families and generates more tax dollars than ever before.
CREATES JOBS
Tourism is the fourth largest employer in New York State (based on direct employment), with 747,948 jobs. In Erie County, 29,888 people are directly employed in tourism, behind finance and insurance and ahead of manufacturing.
29,888 JOBS
in Erie County (6.5% of the total workforce)
SUSTAINS LOCAL BUSINESSES
GENERATES TAX REVENUE
VISIT BUFFALO NIAGARA WORKS TO GROW VISITOR SPENDING By bringing conventions, amateur athletic events and group tours to Western New York, Visit Buffalo Niagara generated
$1.6 billion industry, spent across a diverse range of sectors
$298
MILLION IN LODGING
$ 575
MILLION
IN FOOD & BEVERAGE
$229
MILLION
IN TRANSPORTATION
$162
MILLION
IN RECREATION
$355
MILLION
IN RETAIL & SERVICE
$ 16
MILLION
IN SECOND HOMES
more than $147 million
$ 201,000,642
Tourism in Erie County is a more than
in economic impact in 2015.
was generated in sales taxes paid by visitors in 2014, reducing the tax burden on every household in Erie County by over $500.
530
$
IN ANNUAL TAX RELIEF PER HOUSEHOLD
Households are defined as all persons who occupy a housing unit as their usual place of residence. According to the US Census 2010-2014, there were 381,783 households in Erie County. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36029.html
Economic impact and spending numbers sourced from Economic Impact of Tourism in New York, 2014 Calendar Year, Greater Niagara Focus
FOR EVERY $1 INVESTED, VISIT BUFFALO NIAGARA RETURNED $34 TO THE COMMUNITY.
34
$
1
TO $
...and, a greater investment equals a greater return.
RHEA ANNA
International Exposure
Tourism Matters
In 2015, local ambassadors helped to bring nearly 80 of the 337 conventions, conferences and/or amateur sporting events hosted in Buffalo.
TOURISM MEANS ECONOMIC GROWTH FOR BUFFALO NIAGARA
STEVE DEMEO
Did you know that Buffalo Niagara is one of the top 20 U.S. Regions for inbound visitation from overseas international visitors? In 2014, Visit Buffalo Niagara made an unprecedented push into overseas markets to drive that visitation even higher. The VBN team collaborated with Brand USA to premiere three Buffalo videos geared toward British, German and Chinese tourists. All three videos can be found at VisitBuffaloNiagara.com, VisitTheUSA.com and the VBN YouTube channel. Visit Buffalo Niagara also offers its website in seven different languages!
TOP INTERNATIONAL ARRIVAL MARKETS
c CANADA
e
d CHINA
f GERMANY
JIM BUSH
BILL WIPPERT
For more information on the importance of travel and tourism to Buffalo Niagara’s economy, go to VisitBuffaloNiagara.com/about. INDIA
g ITALY
RHEA ANNA
51% of all hotel room nights booked by VBN were related to amateur sports.
VISIT BUFFALO NIAGARA sells and markets our assets and attractions to visitors outside the Buffalo Niagara region as a convention, tourism and leisure destination for the economic benefit of the community. VBN is Erie County’s lead marketing organization for conventions, meetings, amateur sporting events, cultural and heritage tourism and consumer travel.
UNITED KINGDOM
403 Main Street » Suite 630 » Buffalo, New York 14203 » 716.852.0511 » 888.228.3369
VisitBuffaloNiagara.com
RHEA ANNA
b
Visiting media help shape perceptions of Buffalo Niagara. In 2015, VBN’s efforts yielded 230 out-of-town media hits valued at $4.1 million in earned media value.
VisitBuffaloNiagara.com