COLUMBUS, Ohio — Sessions continue for Mayors all across the country as they discuss different issues at their annual conference in Columbus.   

What You Need To Know

  • Nearly 300 mayors from across the country gathered for the US Mayors Conference in Columbus, Ohio

  • Tourism was one of the many topics they discussed 

  • In Columbus, 2022 brought in 300,000 more visitors than 2019 and a billion more in spending than pre-pandemic

One of the topics they discussed is tourism, especially after the pandemic.

“We’re very, very optimistic,” said Brian Ross, president and CEO of Experience Columbus.

He said, “Travel has increased” in Columbus.

According to Experience Columbus, 42.7 million visitors brought in $6.6 billion in direct spending to local businesses last year. 

That’s 300,000 more visitors than 2019 and a billion more in spending than pre-pandemic.

While the stay-at-home order hurt the economy then, the way we travel is still not quite the same.

“With COVID, we have learned that travelers travel differently, and that’s still what we’re trying to figure out. We know that there is no ‘the way we used to be’,” said Ross. “Now, with remote work, people can do work from a city they’re visiting, as well as going out and having a great time in that community.” 

While the post-pandemic tourism numbers look promising so far, there’s still a lot to be done. 

Ross said it comes down to collaboration. 

“It’s not Experience Columbus or the Greater Columbus Sports Commission that are driving all this,” he said. “We bring business opportunities to the community, and it’s making sure that we have support from the local public officials, the local public entities, the private sector, or districts, so that we do this collaboratively instead of just one or two people making a sell.” 

Ross said big events like the U.S. Mayors Conference are a big asset.

“We will generate $1.5 million in direct visitor spend over this four-day week,” said Ross. 

Experience Columbus also said, based on our first quarter report this year, Columbus may even surpass our tourism numbers from 2019.