Each year, the Legislature makes strategic investments in the arts, cultural endeavors and historic preservation. These efforts stimulate continued growth in Iowa’s tourism industry, an important job creator.
In 2014, more than 66,500 Iowans owed their employment to the tourism industry, a 1.6 percent increase from 2013. Total travel-related payroll in Iowa increased 4 percent from 2013 to more than $1.2 billion in 2014. That means every dollar spent by travelers produced 15.2 cents in payroll income for Iowa residents.
According to the Iowa Tourism Office, travel expenditures have increased by almost 6 percent on average over the past five years, beating the five year national average. A study on The Economic Impact of Travel on Iowa Counties shows travelers spent $8.06 billion in Iowa in 2014, an all-time high, with every county seeing an increase in travel-related expenditures between 2013 and 2014.