Tourism Impact Study
In the spring of 2024, Visit Cook County invested in a Tourism Impact Study with the University of Minnesota. This study revealed that over 1.2 million visitors generate over $220 Million in economic activity in Cook County annually. This impacts the local economy in three critical ways:
- Direct Impact: This is the initial visitor spending, estimated at $164.7 million in 2022. Lodging, restaurants/bars, and transportation were the top spending categories.
- Indirect Impact: Businesses that support the tourism industry, but don't directly serve visitors, benefit as well. This "ripple effect" contributed an estimated $32.1 million in 2022.
- Induced Impact: Visitor spending leads to increased wages for workers, which in turn fuels spending throughout the county. This "induced effect" added an estimated $22.7 million in 2022.
Among the $220 million of economic activity generated by visitors, $55 million was attributed to businesses that do not directly serve visitors. The industries beyond direct service that benefited the most from visitors include real estate, government enterprises (including state, local, and tribal operations), and utilities.
This study also showed that Cook County has the highest amount of taxable retail and service sales per capita in the state of Minnesota averaging about 2x as many sales as would be expected for our population size.
Read the complete Economic Impact Report here:
Questions? Contact:
Linda Jurek Executive Director
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Kjersti Vick Marketing & Public Relations Director
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