Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association The official site for North Alabama tourism professionals
In 2023, travelers spent over $4.7 billion while visiting the 16 counties of the North Alabama region, representing a 10.1% increase over 2022, according to a report released last week by the Alabama Tourism Department (ATD). The report, “2023 Alabama Tourism Economic Report,” was conducted for the ATD using a model created by Dr. Keivan Deravi, an economist in the School of Business at Auburn University in Montgomery. Counties comprising the North Alabama region consist of Blount, Cherokee, Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan and Winston counties.
In 2023, travel-related expenditures in the North Alabama region reached more than $4.7 billion, up from $4.3 billion in 2022. Travel-related earnings showed a 7.1% growth from $1,258,500,183 in 2022 to $1,348,381,321 in 2023, and 49,523 individuals were employed directly and indirectly in the North Alabama tourism industry, a 5.5% increase over 2022.
“In ten years, tourists’ expenditures in North Alabama have doubled, from $2.1 billion in 2013 to $4.7 billion in 2023,” said Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association President and CEO Tami Reist. “We continue to see our tourism industry grow as new hotels, RV parks and tiny home developments are popping up all across the region. These new developments will allow us to welcome even more visitors and more spending in the region and in turn, create more jobs, boost revenue for local businesses and encourage local infrastructure developments. I am extremely proud of our 16 counties and the collective efforts of our tourism partners – tourism bureaus, economic development offices and chambers of commerce – who continue the efforts to make sure that tourism is a vital economic driver to their respective counties.”
Based on the primary and secondary data, it is estimated that more than 28.8 million people visited the State of Alabama during 2023, and spent over $23.5 billion, representing an increase of 4.8% over 2022 spending. For every $1 in Alabama’s travel-related expenditures, the state retains a total of $0.33. In 2023, $1.4 billion of state and local tax revenues were generated by travel and tourism activities.
Marking yet another banner year, Gov. Ivey said, “Alabama continued its streak of remarkable success in the tourism and travel industry. Across all corners of the state, there was a notable increase in tourism-related benefits, demonstrating the industry’s capacity to thrive even amidst economic fluctuations.”
The purpose of the study is to estimate the economic impact of the travel and tourism industry in Alabama for 2023 and includes information on the number of jobs attributed to tourism, spending and revenue figures and the most visited counties. Dr. Deravi’s model analyzes tax revenues collected by the state to provide the annual travel economic impact study.
Dr. Deravi said that the travel industry has a direct impact on the state’s total economy. State law requires that 75 percent of the 4 percent state lodging tax paid by all hotel guests goes directly into the state General Fund that the Alabama Legislature spends for services to all residents. The $86.4 million of the Legislature’s portion of the lodgings tax benefits all residents of the state, the economist said. Without those funds from tourism, each household in Alabama would have had to pay an additional $707 in taxes just to maintain current service levels.