Upward trend: Business and leisure visits to Cuyahoga County up by 12%


Destination Cleveland announced yesterday, Oct. 17 that business and leisure travel generated 17.9 million visits to Cuyahoga County in 2022—a 12% increase over 2021. This is the second straight year for visitation growth in the county.

Ohio saw 6% growth rate in 2021, which was slightly ahead of the 11% U.S. domestic visitation growth rate. In 2022, visitor volume reached 92% of 2019 levels.

Data from Oxford EconomicsTourism Economics division shows that the number of both day and overnight visitors grew, with day visits growing at 12% and overnight visits increasing by 11%.

Day visitors represented 58% of the total number of visitors to the region, while 42% were overnight visitors, which is consistent with Cuyahoga County’s visit distribution over the past three years.

“2022 was a new beginning for the travel and tourism industry—we’re back on track as an industry that infuses money into the economy and contributes to positive perceptions of Cleveland as a place to live and work,” Destination Cleveland president and CEO David Gilbert said in a statement.

“Destination Cleveland, as the steward of the industry, remains steadfastly committed to leading the industry to its pre-pandemic success levels as quickly as possible. Through collaboration, our visitor economy can and will contribute to the region’s long-term equitable growth.”

When looking at the past 10 years—from 2013 to 2022—travel and tourism’s impact in Cuyahoga County is all positive. Visitation is up nearly 11%; direct spending is up 31%; employment income has grown by 61%; and taxes generated have increased by 53%.

Direct sales and economic impact

Visitor spending continued to positively affect the local economy, with travel and tourism in Cuyahoga County accounting for $6.4 billion in direct sales and an economic impact of $10.6 billion.

This 19% increase in direct spending represents 101% of 2019 levels and is 13% ahead of both state visitor spending and 6% ahead of U.S. domestic travel spending increases in 2022.

Downtown ClevelandDowntown ClevelandEmployment, taxes generated, and resident tax offset

Travel and tourism produced $3.5 billion in employment income for local resident employees through about 69,200 jobs in Cuyahoga County. In fact, travel and tourism represented one of every 14 jobs in the county.

The increase of 5,200 jobs from 2021 represents a significant rebound—reaching 99% of pre-pandemic employment with 69,500 jobs.

The industry generated $1.5 billion in federal, state, and local taxes, resulting in a savings of nearly $1,330 in taxes for each Cuyahoga County household.

“Visitors continued to help drive the Cleveland economy in 2022, spending $6.4 billion throughout Cuyahoga County and supporting the local community through jobs, wages, and taxes,” Tourism Economics president Adam Sacks said in a statement. “While growth in the U.S. economy is expected to slow in 2024, the recovery in business activity and sustained strength in leisure travel should allow Cleveland’s visitor economy to continue to grow.”

2023 outlook

Cuyahoga County’s travel and tourism industry is moving forward at full speed in 2023. Compared to pre pandemic data for both Ohio and U.S. domestic travel, Cleveland fares as follows:

  • 2022 visit volume reached 92% of 2019 visits, which slightly trailed the U.S. domestic recovery at 97% and the state at 103%.
  • 2022 visitor direct spending reached 101% of 2019 levels, which is ahead of the U.S. spending at 93% but trailing the state spending at 110%.
  • 2022 employment recovered to 99% of 2019 totals, which is ahead of state recovery of 95% and only slightly behind U.S. employment recovery of 102%.
When looking at 2023 lodging performance data—which is the most real-time indicator for the industry—Cuyahoga County’s travel and tourism recovery is on pace with regional drive markets and only slightly trails the US overall. Through August 2023, hotel performance in Cuyahoga County is strong in key categories:

  • 2023 year-to-date hotel occupancy is at 96% of 2019 levels, which is slightly ahead of the U.S.’ 95%. Among its peer cities, Cleveland has the top recovery percentage.
  • 2023 year-to-date hotel average daily rate (ADR) is at 116% of 2019 levels, which puts Cleveland at the third highest among its peers and on pace with the United States’ 118%.