Last year, more than 1 million people traveled to local attractions, according to a new study, and tourism officials hope to grow that number in the future.
The study, which surveyed local attractions and hotels, found that another 1.3 million people spent money stopping in Johnson County on their way to another destination.
In total, tourists and travelers brought in more than $255 million in spending, including in taxes, food, lodging, transportation and shopping, according to the study commissioned by Festival Country Indiana, the county’s tourism and convention bureau.
Now, the goal is to grow those figures by promoting Johnson County and what it has to offer, said Kenneth Kosky, director of tourism.
The study is a starting point for the local tourism organization, which was created and funded by the county’s innkeeper’s tax.
Local attractions, including Freedom Springs Aquatic Center, Franklin College, Mallow Run Winery, the Historic Artcraft Theatre and the Apple Works, along with local hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts were asked to answer questions about the number of visitors they had in 2017 and how many they estimated were from outside of the county. The surveys got a 60 percent response rate, and consultants also went out and spoke with people visiting local attractions, and those answers were used to come up with the estimates of spending and visitors, Kosky said.
The goal is to use the information to compare Johnson County with other central Indiana communities that have also done the study, and grow from the initial numbers, Kosky said.
Officials hope that when the study is repeated in two to three years, it will show that promotion of local attractions has helped bring more visitors here, he said. The organization recently released its printed guide, promoting local attractions, shopping, restaurants, hotels and festivals and events, and will be working to get that information out to potential visitors, he said.
Kosky hopes to see the number of events and attractions continue to grow, drawing in more visitors in future years, he said.
The study also shows the impact of tourism, including in creating more than 2,900 jobs that range from marketing and sales to construction and personal services, Kosky said.
“It’s easy to understand when people see a large building that employs people and has a full parking lot, that is contributing to economy, but they don’t always realize tourism is such a big industry,” Kosky said.
“This study shows me tourism has a great impact already on Johnson County, but I also feel there is tremendous room for growth.”
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Here is a look at some of the details from a study done of local tourism in 2017:
Tourism spending: $255.7 million
Tourist purchases: $183.2 million
Jobs created by tourism: 2,921
Tourist visitors: 1,054,014
Visitors passing through: 1,359,197
SOURCE: Johnson County tourism study
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