Message from David Gilbert

Travel and tourism helps Cleveland grow, infusing money into the economy and positively contributing to perceptions of the city as a place to live and work.

In 2021, all key performance indicators for Cuyahoga County’s travel and tourism industry returned to an upward trajectory – from visits and spending to employment and taxes generated, indicating recovery from the COVID-19 global pandemic took hold in earnest. After experiencing a 30% loss in visit volume in 2020, total visits increased by nearly 17% in 2021. Additionally, visitors to Cuyahoga County increased their travel-related spending by 23% last year, a growth rate that was on pace with both state and U.S. domestic travel spending increases. Hotel occupancy in 2022 continues to improve, with Cuyahoga County’s recovery being on pace with our peer set and just slightly behind the U.S. overall.

Destination Cleveland continues its work to rebuild the travel and tourism industry, with the goal of exceeding pre-pandemic success as quickly as possible. We are stewarding the return to growth in collaboration with the region’s hospitality businesses as well as our civic partners. Together we will return the industry to its position as a growth sector.

A summary of the economic value of travel and tourism to Cuyahoga County in 2021 can be found below.