Visit Baton Rouge, the DMO for East Baton Rouge Parish, LA, has announced record economic impact for the area’s tourism industry. The record 8.8 million visitors in 2023 spent $1.7 billion in the parish, supporting about 40,000 local jobs. This announcement was made during Visit Baton Rouge’s National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW).
As part of the NTTW, Visit Baton Rouge hosted a luncheon that included key industry updates from Visit Baton Rouge President and CEO Jill Kidder and a keynote presentation by Butch Spyridon, former president and CEO of Nashville Tourism. The luncheon gathered industry stakeholders and partners to honor the substantial contributions of tourism to Baton Rouge.
The organization also highlighted additional key statistics for 2023:
- 52.9 percent of visitors came from out of state
- These visitors spent an average of $296 per person, with 37 percent spent on the restaurant scene
- Tourism saves the average household more than $1,100 in taxes annually
- Meetings, conventions and sporting events had an economic impact of $46.2 million, with 242 events held
“2023 was an incredible year for tourism in Baton Rouge—and that momentum has definitely carried into 2024,” said Kidder. “These record numbers don’t happen without teamwork by everyone from our elected officials to the frontline hotel staffers who provide daily customer service to visitors. Visit Baton Rouge is proud to honor the hard work of the entire industry.”
Already in 2024, Baton Rouge has successfully hosted three sold-out Savannah Banana baseball games, the inaugural Masters of Strength Fest and a number of youth sports events and group meetings. Later in the year, Baton Rouge’s new botanic gardens holiday lighting event, Louisiana Lights, will give visitors even more of a reason to visit during the holiday season.
For more information, visit www.visitbatonrouge.com.
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