The Ohio Department of Development's Office of Tourism has announced that the 2011 "Too Much Fun for Just One Day" advertising campaign resulted in a $14 to $1 return on investment for Ohio — a return of $14 in state and local taxes for every $1 invested in tourism marketing.
Officials say the return on investment reflects a continued pattern of success for Ohio tourism campaigns including an ROI of $13 to $1 in 2010 and 2009, and a $12 to $1 return in 2008.
"Having such a positive return on investment for our tourism efforts is truly encouraging as we continue to promote Ohio's strong assets, increasing travel to the state, and creating sustainable jobs for our citizens," said Christiane Schmenk, Director of the Ohio Department of Development. "Tourism is a tremendous revenue source for the State of Ohio, and this success is a reflection of the resurgence we are seeing in consumer confidence from travelers."
"Since 2008, when economic pressures and high gasoline prices pushed travel spending to historic lows nationwide, we have focused our campaign around highlighting close-to-home travel opportunities including unique Ohio experiences and affordable getaways," said State Tourism Director Amir Eylon. "Our investment strategy continues to pay greater dividends each year."
Eylon said the campaign is heavily focused on reaching key out-of-state targets within driving distance of Ohio through a campaign that encourages overnight family getaways across print, broadcast and online channels. The campaign also continues to take advantage of new technologies such as mobile and social media, which helps make reaching targeted consumers more cost effective than ever.
Total taxes received in Ohio as a result of Ohio's tourism marketing campaign were estimated at $26 million for 2011 with approximately $11 million of that total going to local taxes and $15 million to the State of Ohio.
Research conducted by Longwoods International on behalf of the Ohio Office of Tourism also revealed that the Office's 2011 advertising efforts generated approximately $374 million in new visitor spending from an estimated 2.1 million trips.
According to the U.S. Travel Association, travel is among the top 10 industries in 48 states and D.C. in terms of employment, and the tourism sector accounted for approximately 7 percent of U.S. job creation in 2011.
