Spending by visitors to Frederick County rose from $410.1 million in 2017 to $428.3 million in 2018, meaning that average daily spending by visitors to the county continues to be over one million dollars, according to a newly released study. The Economic Impact of Tourism in Maryland is compiled annually by Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics Company. This annual report examines the tourism industry in the state as a whole by looking at sectors including lodging, food & beverage, retail, recreation, transportation, and more. Additionally, the report provides tourism statistics for each Maryland County, as well as Baltimore City and Ocean City. The figures reflect spending by people who travelled at least fifty miles for a purpose other than commuting to work or school.
The growth in Frederick County came thanks to visitors spending more on food, beverage, retail, recreation and transportation costs. Due to Federal government shutdowns, lodging sales remained essentially flat. Visitors to Frederick County spent an average of $1.17 million per day.
Since 2010, visitor spending has grown over 35% and continues to grow each year. “Because visitors spend money at such a wide variety of establishments, big and small, scattered throughout the county, it isn’t often obvious to residents what a large industry tourism is for Frederick County,” said Visit Frederick Executive Director John Fieseler.
Visit Frederick is the recognized Destination Marketing Organization for Frederick City and Frederick County, Maryland. It operates the Frederick Visitor Center and related Visit Frederick programs that include Destination Marketing and Group Tour Marketing. For more information about Visit Frederick, visit www.visitfrederick.org or call 301-600-4047.