Our High Tourism Tells Us We’re Pretty Damn Awesome

Columbus’ tourism industry has racked up $6.4 billion dollars in revenue and almost 40 million visitors in 2015, according to a report from Experience Columbus.

The tourism and hospitality industry got a boost in 2015, according to a Biz Journals article, from the National Hockey League’s Al-Star Festivities. So, Columbus, good job at bringing in the tourists through big name events!

Our only downfall occurs in the fact that we simply do not have enough hotels to house even more tourists and out-of-town visitors. Fear not, fellow citizens, big industry has a way of saving us from even the slightest of inconveniences.

Enter Airbnb, whose users in Columbus has tripled, surpassing all midwestern cities with the exception of Cincinnati and Indianapolis. In the span of July and June, almost 19,000 guests rented lodging through Airbnb in the Columbus area, a 207 percent increase from the same period a year prior, according to another Biz Journals article.

This is great news for Ohioans all around, as the Airbnb report said, “…the sharing economy is empowering people across the Midwest to utilize their most important asset – their home – as economic lifelines.”

Thanks, Columbus, for doing what you’re best at: showing people we’re the bee’s knees and inviting them over for a drink and a game.

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