Tourism is on the rise in Maryland.
According to a report released in late August by the Maryland Office of Tourism Development, visitors spent $17.3 billion in the state on travel expenses in 2016, which was a 2.7 percent increase over the previous year. Plus, more than 42 million people visited the state in 2016, which was a 4 percent increase from 2015. This also beat the national visitation growth rate of 2.6 percent in 2016.
Food and beverage, lodging, and transportation were the three top categories of spending, which generated $2.35 billion in state and local tax revenue. The tourism industry also supported a payroll of $6 billion, impacting more than 146,000 state residents and representing a 5.2 percent increase over 2015. These numbers also made Maryland tourism the 10th largest private-sector employer in the state.
