News & Resources for the Indiana Tourism Industry

Honest-to-Goodness Economic Benefit





Fast Facts

  1. It takes only 380 visitors to support one new job in Indiana.
  2. Every 488 Indiana visitors generate enough state and local taxes to pay for one Indiana public school student.
  3. Having grown 5.8%, the tourism industry was the fastest growing job sector in the Indiana economy in 2015.
  4. Each Indiana visitor spent an average of $147 locally on transportation, hotel, food and beverage, shopping and entertainment.
  2. If visitors stopped coming to Indiana, each of its 2.5 million households would have to pay an additional $550 in state & local taxes in order to maintain current levels of tax receipts.

2015 Economic Impact of Tourism in Indiana

Indiana destinations welcomed a record 77 million visitors (A 4.3% increase over the previous year.)

Leisure travelers were 82% of the total visitors, increasing day tripper visitors by 3.7% and overnight visits by 2.3%.

Visitors spent a record $11.5 billion in Indiana, an 8.6% increase YoY. $3.2 billion in food & drink, $2.5 billion in shopping, $2.1 billion in entertainment and recreation, $1.8 billion in lodging, $1 billion in transportation, < $1 billion in other areas

Tourism directly employs 155,000 Hoosiers and supports 202,000 jobs statewide, a 5.9% growth YoY

76¢ of every $1 spent by visitors stays in Indiana. This contributes $8.7 billion to Indiana’s Gross Domestic Product.

Tourism saves Hoosiers money by saving an average of $550 in state and local taxes per household