Alabama’s travel industry grew by $1 billion in 2017, and Mobile County posted similar gains of roughly 8 percent, Gov. Kay Ivey announced Tuesday.
Tourism brought a record $14.3 billion to the state last year — a 7 percent increase — and added 7,399 jobs in a sector that now employs more than 180,000 Alabamians. ‘Every part of the state saw dramatic growth, from the beautiful mountains of the Tennessee Valley to the stunning white sand beaches along the Gulf Coast,’ Ivey said.
In Mobile County, tourism grew about 8 percent as an additional 178,770 visitors pushed the total to 3.4 million people who spent $1.2 billion in the area — the fourth-highest tourism revenue among Alabama counties, behind Baldwin, Jefferson and Madison.
Baldwin County, with Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, saw some of the highest economic activity in the state. Spending from 6.4 million guests added an estimated $4.4 billion to the local and state economy. Mobile County Commission President Connie Hudson said she has long preached the value of investing in sports tourism, museums and annual events like Mobile’s Mardi Gras.
State Tourism Director Lee Sentell said the 2017 gains were the largest since the 2010 BP oil spill. A study by Montgomery economist Keivan Deravi estimated the hospitality industry generated $879 million in state and local taxes, and that without it each Alabama household would have paid $467 more in taxes to maintain current services.