Visitors to the Auburn-Opelika area spent $438 million in hotels, restaurants and retail establishments last year, according to the Alabama Tourism Department’s annual Economic Impact Report for 2016.
The spending marks a 12 percent increase from the previous year.
“Tourism revenues continue to play a major role in the economic health of the Auburn-Opelika area,” said John Wild, president of the Auburn-Opelika Tourism Bureau (AOTB). “The staff of AOTB is dedicated to continuing to promote the area as a destination for travelers of all types, from the individual leisure traveler to those interested in hosting group or business events. The area’s desirability and the success of our efforts is clearly evidenced by the fact that visitor spending has grown over 91 percent in just the last decade.”
The tourism industry is the area’s second-largest employer behind Auburn University, employing 6,243 individuals in Lee County.
Money collected by the tourism industry saves each individual household an average of $444 in state and local taxes, the Tourism Bureau said.
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