Tourism Means Business

2021 Travel Economic Impacts in Tuolumne County

Travel Impacts for Local Businesses:

Total Travel Spending: $241.8 million

Lodging: $79 million
Food Service: $67.4 million
Food Stores: $11.9 million
Local Transportation & Gas: $20.5 million
Arts, Entertainment & Recreation: $29.7 million
Retail Sales: $26.8 million

Employment:

2,260 Tourism Industry Jobs (not including Black Oak Casino Resort and Chicken Ranch Casino)

State and Local Tax Receipts:

$21 million

State and local tax revenue is equivalent to $967 per Tuolumne County resident household.

*As of July 1, 2021 and the increase of TOT to 12%, VTC receives 25% of TOT and the County of Tuolumne and the City of Sonora receive 75%.

Download the Why Tourism Matters Toolkit for information about tourism's impact on the economy, the role of Visit Tuolumne County, and what you can do to help keep the importance of tourism keep at the top of minds of public officials.

What does Visit Tuolumne County (VTC) do for residents?

VTC builds revenue, creates jobs, and supports local businesses.

VTC promotes the region’s many lodging properties, attractions, local businesses and activities to persuade new and returning visitors to book overnight trips and increase in-market spending. Additionally, VTC is an advocate that gives small businesses a large voice in marketing.

Tourism spending lightens tax load on residents, creates jobs and opens doors for economic development. By collecting Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) from overnight guests, lodging properties in Tuolumne County contribute millions of dollars in tax revenues, which stay exclusively in the county. 75% of TOT funds pay for emergency services, roads and other County infrastructure.

Specifically, how much Return on Investment (ROI) is VTC generating?

The data speaks for itself.

• The 25% of TOT invested into VTC has proven positive returns year-over-year.
• Total Travel Spending: $241.8 million
• 2,260 Tourism Industry Jobs (not including Black Oak Casino Resort and Chicken Ranch Casino)
   

How important is this today?

As we learned from 2020, a decrease in tourism affects us all.

Tourism benefits local economies, businesses and residents alike. As VTC continues post-pandemic recovery efforts, economic recovery depends in part on robust tourism marketing tactics, which will ultimately generate more visitor spending and restoration of tax revenue.

With visitors making new plans and the competition heating up, there has never been a more important time for VTC. There’s substantial opportunity to bring in more visitors during fall, winter and spring and improve the quality of the trip for summer visitors. And as groups/meetings and international travel bounce back, you need VTC to reach these audiences as they stay longer and spend more across a wider range of products and services.

This is not a short-term recovery effort, and we need to be able to rely on VTC funding if we hope to overcome the challenges from the pandemic.

What can I do to support VTC and the economic health of my county? 

Speak up and share your support. 

• Show your support for your county by utilizing the easy links below. Write a letter to the Board of Supervisors. 
• Attend Board of Supervisor meetings and show your support of tourism marketing during Public Comment. 
• Email VTC written and video testimonials highlighting why tourism is important to you and/or your business.