When visitors come to town for a quick getaway, to attend a convention or to conduct business, they spend money in our community. The money visitors spend at our restaurants, attractions, hotels, retail shops and other enterprises contributes to our local economy, providing jobs and income, tax revenue, community development and other important benefits we all enjoy.
Each year Omaha hosts 13.1 million visitors (a 6% increase from 2016). 5.7 million stayed overnight, while 7.4 million made a day of it.
With so much to see and do in Omaha, the total amount of visitor spending shouldn't surprise anyone. $836 million by overnight visitors and another $471 million by day visitors. All in all, this is an increase of 6.5% over 2016.
Here's how visitors spent their money at a glance. The positive economic impact of Omaha tourism can be felt throughout the city.
From wait staff to small business owners to city services, tourism means jobs. In fact, tourism is the 9th largest employer in Omaha. One in seventeen jobs is supported by visitor spending.
Taxes generated by visitor spending save each Douglas County household $750 per year. Without tourism, your taxes would go up or the current level of government services would go down.
Each year, tourists generates 286 million dollars of tax revenue. Here's the breakdown: $122 million in federal, $83 million in state, add $81 million in local taxes.