Fort Wayne’s economic growth relies heavily on the tourism industry. The importance of tourism to Fort Wayne can be summed up in ten reasons.
1. It creates and maintains jobs.
The tourism sector in Fort Wayne supports 14,198 jobs in Allen County, positions that would not exist if tourism did not exist. Furthermore, more than a third of the employment created by tourism expenditure were in professional or managerial roles. These jobs pay approximately $200 million in compensation to Allen County workers and help our region grow its job market.
2. Attracts New Clients to Fort Wayne
A thriving tourism industry supports a thriving business environment. From the Grand Wayne Convention Center and Allen County Public Library downtown to private investments in Crazy Pinz and Spiece Fieldhouse, there are new and interesting additions around every turn in Fort Wayne. All of these places (and hundreds more) are popular with locals, but they rely on visitor spending to stay afloat.
3. Assists in the development of a thriving downtown
Visitors to our conventions, museums, and festivals add to the vibrancy of our downtown area. Our city wouldn’t be nearly as rich without their participation (and visitor expenditure) in these facilities and activities; visitor spending is helping to construct a downtown that we can all enjoy.
4. Brings in Millions of Dollars in Taxes
That’s right: Allen County visitors generate $94.3 million in state and local taxes. These taxes (paid by food and beverage, hotels, airports, car rentals, and other transactions) are recirculated through our local economy, reducing our tax load. In reality, the Indiana Convention and Visitors Bureaus generate nearly $15 in taxable revenue for every dollar invested on tourism promotion and marketing.
Fort Wayne attracts around $741 million in visitors each year. Convention delegates, genealogy researchers, and families in town for a youth soccer tournament all support our restaurants, hotels, attractions, shopping, and amenities, bringing life to the community. Our quality of life is improved as a result of their spending, which helps to fund our facilities, resulting in a better city for all of us to enjoy.
5. Improves one’s quality of life
Concerts, athletic events, festivals, and other special events all rely on the attendance of both visitors and locals. Visitors help bring larger groups and better entertainment to our world-class facilities, which improves everyone’s quality of life.
6. Promotes Fort Wayne as a destination for special events
Visit From NCAA tournaments to Big Ten Soccer, Fort Wayne continues to play a vital role in bringing outstanding youth sports tournaments to the city, providing extra spectator events for the entire family. Visitors give us with a diverse range of entertainment activities that are free to the public, whether they come to Fort Wayne to play hockey, soccer, softball, bowl, or even host a national USA Roller Sports Championship!
7. Promotes and markets our community
We work to generate destination appeal in the same way that you try to grab market share in your business. Every year, we spend a portion of our budget to advertise Fort Wayne as a conference and leisure travel destination. We have helped “brand” your neighborhood more favourably as a result of our promotion, which benefits everyone’s business image.
8. Is Critical to Fort Wayne’s Economic Vitality in the Future
Eight out of ten employment in the twenty-first century will be in the service industry, which is why we are focusing on building a thriving economic machine to support this dynamic economy.
9. Constructs Large Structures
Over $150 million has been invested in Fort Wayne’s tourism assets recently, with $75 million going to public facilities and another $75 million going to hotels, entertainment centers, and enterprises in the private sector. This investment in our tourism business is being undertaken because it pays off. As we witness more public and private improvements around Fort Wayne over the next few years, remember that the visitor industry is helping to construct a better Fort Wayne.
10. Is Something We Can All Be Proud Of Despite the difficult economic climate, tourism-related jobs in Fort Wayne are on the rise. Visitors flock to Fort Wayne year after year because of its affordability and good quality of life and amenities. The caliber of our attractions, world-class amenities, and top-notch conference facilities constantly wow visitors to Fort Wayne. It’s something to be proud of for all of us!