Governor Larry Hogan has announced that, according to an economic impact report released by the Maryland Department of Commerce, the state’s tourism industry is continuing a strong recovery, recapturing nearly 90 percent of pre-pandemic visitor spending.
In addition, the state reported increases over pre-pandemic levels in the key sectors of lodging and restaurants.
The state continues to experience a strong economic recovery as a whole, including an unemployment rate below pre-pandemic levels.
The report also showed that spending by overnight visitors increased nearly six percent from $784 in 2019 to $830 in 2021.
When comparing 2021 to 2020, the report found that visitor spending grew 42 percent from $11.6 billion in 2020 to $16.4 billion in 2021.
Domestic and international visitors also increased, up to 35.2 million in 2021 from 24.7 million the previous year.
Another key measurement of economic output is the sales and use tax as reported by the Maryland comptroller.
This is reported on a fiscal year rather than on the calendar year and it also reports increases in two important tourism industry sectors, taking into account inflationary pressures:
Lodging: FY 22 vs. FY 21 increased 170 percent; FY 22 vs. FY 19 increased 10 percent
Restaurant: FY 22 vs. FY 21 increased 97 percent; FY 22 vs. FY 19 increased 31 percent.
Visitors to the state spent $16.4 billion on travel-related expenses in 2021.
The Maryland tourism industry also generated $2.1 billion in state and local taxes, essentially saving each Maryland household $923 in annual taxes and directly supported Marylanders with nearly 113,000 jobs.
For more information, visit www.visitmaryland.org.
