A recently released report shows record tourism spending across the state of Iowa last year — a trend area leaders are eager to follow and expand upon.
New data from the Iowa Tourism Office found visitors to the state spent a record $7.3 billion in 2023 on food, travel, lodging, recreation, entertainment and other tourism-related expenditures, up 5.1% from 2022.
Additional data from the study shows travel-generated state and local tax receipts at $1.1 billion and that the industry supported nearly 71,000 jobs statewide.
Area counties benefited from the statewide trend, according to the report, with Dubuque, Delaware, Jackson and Clayton counties all seeing year-over-year increases in visitor spending and tourism-related employment.
Travel-generated expenditures in Dubuque County totaled $314 million in 2023, an increase of 6.1% over 2022. The largest spending category went to transportation — which accounted for $73.5 million in direct spending — followed by food and beverage spending, recreation, lodging and retail.
All five categories saw year-over-year spending increases and now exceed pre-pandemic levels recorded in 2019, the report shows.
“Over the past five years, there’s been some significant growth, and that’s exciting to see,” said Keith Rahe, president and CEO of Travel Dubuque. “Obviously we saw a dip in 2020, but overall Dubuque County continues to be a vibrant destination.”
Mirroring statewide trends even further, Rahe attributed Dubuque County’s growing popularity to its robust outdoor recreation opportunities and youth sports offerings — namely the youth baseball tournaments held each summer at the Field of Dreams Movie Site in Dyersville.
Youth baseball tournaments have been expanding in Dyersville since the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox played the first Field of Dreams Major League Baseball game in 2021, though Rahe said registration has risen exponentially in more recent years.
That growth continued this year, Rahe said, which bodes well for the 2024 economic impact figures that will be released next year. In 2024, 453 teams from 20 states and Canada played in the tournaments that brought over 30,000 people to the Dyersville area.
For 2025, the goal is to continue that growth and register 525 teams.
“The tournaments are great, but they’re just one element,” Rahe said. “There’s the games, and that brings a lot of money into the area, but then there’s also the hotels where the players are staying, the restaurants where families eat and the convenience stores they visit on their way into town.”
Rahe said other popular attractions contributing to increased tourism spending include countywide outdoor recreation opportunities, ongoing improvements to Dubuque’s Chaplain Schmitt Island and the historic shopping district in downtown Dubuque.
Retail spending represented the smallest portion of Dubuque County visitor spending in 2023, though it still contributed a considerable $49 million in direct spending.
Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce CEO and President Molly Grover said that figure bodes well for the health of Dubuque’s local retailers, adding that she hopes to see the trend continue in 2024 and into 2025.
“Not only is it a boost to the economy, but it also shows that Dubuque is becoming a must-see destination,” said Grover, who expressed added optimism that the impending return of regular commercial air service to Dubuque Regional Airport would further support area tourism.
More rural counties in northeast Iowa also saw an increase in visitor spending in 2023.
The state report found that Jackson County saw a total of $26.1 million in direct visitor spending while Delaware County visitors spent approximately $20 million in 2023. Clayton County visitors contributed $27.1 million in direct spending.
Delaware County Tourism Director Maggie Sommers credited the year-over-year increase to the area’s robust outdoor recreation options such as Backbone State Park in Dundee or the Manchester Whitewater Park.
She said 2024 has proved similarly robust in terms of tourism attraction, with a 14% year-over-year increase in day trips to Delaware County recorded by Sept. 30 of this year compared to the same period last year.
“I think there’s a desire to visit more rural destinations and more local destinations, and Delaware County definitely fits the bill,” she said.