 |
|
|
|
Thanks for visiting the Western Iowa Tourism Region website to learn more about Iowa's $5.8 billion tourism industry.
Tourism in Iowa generates $5.8 billion in direct spending. Expenditures in western Iowa (36-county region) generates a total of $1.09 billion, and the best news is that tourism generated revenue in Iowa is growing at a faster rate than the national average.
2006 Domestic Travel Impact on Western Iowa
Table A: Alphabetical by County
| County | Expenditures
($ Millions) |
Payroll
(Thousands) |
Employment
($ Millions) |
State Tax
Receipts ($ Millions) |
Local Tax
Receipts ($ Millions) |
|
|
|||||
| Adair | $11.96 | $1.26 | 0.09 | $0.52 | $0.08 |
| Adams | 2.11 | 0.28 | 0.02 | 0.14 | 0.03 |
| Audubon | 3.87 | 0.45 | 0.02 | 0.28 | 0.04 |
|
|
|||||
| Buena Vista | 21.69 | 3.07 | 0.19 | 1.16 | 0.20 |
|
|
|||||
| Calhoun | 8.29 | 1.10 | 0.06 | 0.57 | 0.22 |
| Carroll | 41.28 | 6.14 | 0.44 | 2.29 | 0.32 |
| Cass | 19.72 | 2.44 | 0.16 | 1.17 | 0.14 |
| Cherokee | 11.53 | 1.92 | 0.13 | 0.85 | 0.10 |
| Clay | 75.28 | 18.54 | 0.72 | 1.92 | 0.97 |
| Crawford | 15.44 | 2.68 | 0.18 | 1.01 | 0.14 |
|
|
|||||
| Dickinson | 183.61 | 25.68 | 1.76 | 10.57 | 3.25 |
|
|
|||||
| Emmet | 8.55 | 1.31 | 0.07 | 0.54 | 0.11 |
|
|
|||||
| Fremont | 11.19 | 1.72 | 0.12 | 0.65 | 0.10 |
|
|
|||||
| Guthrie | 9.52 | 1.56 | 0.09 | 0.84 | 0.25 |
|
|
|||||
| Harrison | 21.17 | 2.92 | 0.22 | 1.19 | 0.15 |
| Humboldt | 8.97 | 1.57 | 0.07 | 0.34 | 0.10 |
|
|
|||||
| Ida | 4.88 | 0.70 | 0.05 | 0.35 | 0.05 |
|
|
|||||
| Kossuth | 11.59 | 1.45 | 0.10 | 0.70 | 0.08 |
|
|
|||||
| Lyon | 5.20 | 0.60 | 0.04 | 0.34 | 0.05 |
|
|
|||||
| Mills | 5.89 | 0.79 | 0.06 | 0.47 | 0.06 |
| Monona | 16.65 | 3.40 | 0.21 | 0.88 | 0.20 |
| Montgomery | 15.66 | 3.05 | 0.22 | 1.20 | 0.17 |
|
|
|||||
| O'Brien | 15.93 | 2.16 | 0.14 | 0.94 | 0.12 |
| Osceola | 2.86 | 0.42 | 0.03 | 0.17 | 0.03 |
|
|
|||||
| Page | 13.56 | 1.54 | 0.10 | 0.79 | 0.12 |
| Palo Alto | 9.43 | 1.20 | 0.069 | 0.61 | 0.20 |
| Plymouth | 17.56 | 2.31 | 0.15 | 1.10 | 0.13 |
| Pocahontas | 3.70 | 0.47 | 0.03 | 0.23 | 0.04 |
| Pottawattamie | 243.97 | 50.36 | 3.37 | 14.10 | 3.70 |
|
|
|||||
| Ringgold | 6.78 | 0.74 | 0.04 | 0.46 | 0.14 |
|
|
|||||
| Sac | 11.59 | 1.28 | 0.08 | 0.71 | 0.24 |
| Shelby | 10.61 | 1.33 | 0.09 | 0.63 | 0.10 |
| Sioux | 24.28 | 3.35 | 0.21 | 1.40 | 0.18 |
|
|
|||||
| Taylor | 2.73 | 0.30 | 0.02 | 0.22 | 0.03 |
|
|
|||||
| Union | 11.99 | 1.77 | 0.12 | 0.81 | 0.13 |
|
|
|||||
| Woodbury | 201.00 | 39.60 | 2.09 | 8.23 | 2.83 |
|
|
|||||
| Totals | $1,090.04 | $189.46 | 11.56 | $58.38 | $14.80 |
During 2007, 20 Iowa Welcome Centers served more than 500,000 individuals and over 200,000 travel parties. Every 46th travel party was surveyed by 13 centers.
According to the 2007 Iowa Welcome Center Survey, the average spending per day by travel parties in Iowa is $223.66. $64.22 is spent on lodging; $60.69 on transportation; $48.22 for food; $25.45 for entertainment and $25.09 on shopping.
Welcome Centers selling businesses, attractions and events in western Iowa are located in Okoboji, Emmetsburg, Sioux City, Sgt. Bluff, Harrison County (Missouri Valley) Underwood, Council Bluffs, Sidney and Elk Horn.
Iowa Welcome Centers are staffed by state certified travel counselors that are successful in influencing 29% of their visitors to extend their stay in Iowa. Travelers who extended their stay spent an additional $23 million.
| Iowa Welcome Centers | Vacation/
Leisure |
Visit Friends/
Family |
Business/
Convention |
Personal
Business |
Other |
| Danish Windmill, Elk Horn | 46.5% | 37.0% | 4.4% | 3.0% | 9.1% |
| Harrison County, Missouri Valley | 48.2% | 35.7% | 7.0% | 5.0% | 4.0% |
| Sergeant Bluff-Interstate | 41.9% | 34.5% | 10.6% | 4.9% | 8.1% |
| Sergeant Floyd, Sioux City | 62.0% | 27.9% | 3.8% | 4.3% | 1.9% |
| Southern Loess Hills, Sidney | 58.3% | 20.4% | 5.2% | 5.7% | 10.4% |
| Underwood, Interstate | 44.9% | 33.5% | 9.1% | 2.8% | 9.8% |
| Western Historic Trails, Council Bluffs | 64.0% | 17.7% | 7.0% | 3.4% | 7.9% |
According to the Iowa 2006 Domestic Travel Report completed by D.K. Shifflet & Associates Ltd.:
• Iowa enjoyed a 1.6% increase in leisure trips taken over 2005.
• Overnight travel to and within Iowa grew by 3.1%.
• Avg. length of overnight trips (Nights) 2.41.
• Domestic travel to and within Iowa is driven by leisure trips and the share of leisure trips is increasing.
• Persons visiting Iowa for leisure purposes accounted for 75% of total visitors in 2006.
• 48.5% of total domestic overnight leisure trips are visiting friends and family.
• 21.3% of total domestic overnight trips are to attend a special event.
• Week-end getaways account for 17%.
• General vacations account for 4.5%.
• The majority of Iowa's visitors (90.5%) travel to the state by private vehicles.
• The average age of the traveler is 42.3 years.
• The average household income is $64,230.00.
For more information about traveler statistics, visit www.traveliowa.com Travel Industry button, Research/Statistics.
For more information about the Western Iowa Tourism Region feel free to browse this website.
For membership information please call the Region office, toll-free at 888-623-4232.
Home • Interactive Map • Photo Gallery • Links • Things to Do • Hotel-Motel Finder • Group Itineraries • Membership