Travelers to Garfield County in 2010 spent over $81 million dollars during their stays, ranking it 9th out of the 77 counties in Oklahoma.
A study released by the Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department (OTRD) entitled “The Economic Impact of Travelers on Oklahoma Counties 2009-2010,” shows travelers spent $81.26 million dollars in Garfield County in 2010. That’s up from the same study done by OTRD in 2008, when traveler spending in Garfield County was $80.68 million, placing it 11th among the 77 Oklahoma counties. Travel is defined in the study as activities associated with all overnight and day trips to places 50 miles away or more, one way, from the traveler’s origin and any overnight trips away from home in paid accommodations.
One of the strategic recommendations for the Enid Convention & Visitors Bureau in a September, 2011 travel market research study from ECVB consultant Berkeley Young of Young Strategies, Inc. was to continue to build awareness of Enid as an Oklahoma destination, which ultimately will drive increased overnight visitation and visitor spending. The numbers from OTRD show this is occurring faster than expected, further confirming that Enid has positive momentum in Oklahoma and the region.
“Enid has so much going on right now, we anticipate those numbers will continue to grow,” said ECVB director Marcy Jarrett. “The Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center opened in April, Leonardo’s Children’s Museum is expanding, and the new Enid Event Center and renovated Convention Hall is on the horizon. It’s great to see Garfield County in the top 10, but we’re not satisfied. We will continue to promote Enid as a getaway destination and a business, meetings and events destination to bring new revenue and jobs into the community.”
While Garfield County’s traveler spending increased in 2010, the counties it passed to climb into the top 10, Payne County (Stillwater) and Muskogee County (Muskogee) saw those same numbers decrease from the 2008 study. The top 10 Oklahoma counties by expenditure levels in 2010 were Oklahoma, Tulsa, Cleveland (Norman), Comanche (Lawton), Beckham (Elk City), Washington (Bartlesville), Carter (Ardmore), Canadian (El Reno), Garfield and Payne.
The study shows overall, domestic travelers spent nearly $6.2 billion on transportation, lodging, food, entertainment and recreation, and retail shopping during their Oklahoma trips in 2010. This represents an increase of 7.2 percent over 2009.
The complete economic impact study is available on the OTRD website, www.TravelOK.com under Industry Resources, or you may view a copy of the report at the Enid Welcome Center, 123 W Maine.
Global Spectrum (global-spectrum.com) manages the Enid Convention & Visitors Bureau, the official destination marketing organization for Enid, Okla., as well as Enid’s Cherokee Strip Conference Center and more than 100 other public assembly facilities around the world. For information on how to bring a meeting or convention to town or to find out what’s going on in Enid, go to the ECVB website at www.VisitEnid.org or call our office at (580) 233-ENID (3643).