How Does Tourism Affect you?
Business Owners
In 2025, travel supported 15 million American workers and employed over 8.5 million, with over 80% of travel businesses being small businesses.
Travelers are a large part of what keeps your business growing. As tourists stop at shops, restaurants, hotels, gas stations, attractions, and other small businesses, they are not only directly supporting the region’s economy but also encouraging new visitors and customers. This boost in revenue and attention brings opportunity for growth with each passing season, through word-of-mouth, social media exposure, online reviews, and repeated travel.
Tourism allows for an expansion of services and facilities as well as hiring additional staff, making it more sustainable in the slower seasons. Smaller towns can maintain year-round operation due to this visitor revenue, whereas their smaller populations alone may not have been enough to keep them running. The trickle effect of tourists' spending impacts the community further than just the restaurant they decide to eat at. That busy restaurant orders more food from local suppliers, maintenance services are hired out for hotels, and retailers invest in more inventory and storefront improvement.
The dollars spent by seasonal visitors circulate through a community much longer than their stay. While their seasonal visitation at times can be described as a congestion, their spending supports the businesses and other community amenities that residents consider important.
Hospitality Workers
Hospitality is the fifth-largest industry in the world, with almost 15 million Americans working in tourism and hospitality
Tourism not only creates jobs around the United States but sustains these jobs across industries. From restaurants and cafes to attractions, events, and guides, these hospitality workers are dependent on travelers to support themselves. Visitation increases the need for skilled workers, event planning, and management.
Having a strong economy of tourism expands the operations and the ability to expand busy seasons, positively impacting the workers. While the busiest season can be very demanding on hospitality workers, the revenue created during these times allows for a maintained income and investment in employees year-round. These visitors and their business are a huge contribution to communities to prosper and thrive.
Local Residents
In Michigan alone, visitors spent $30.7 billion in destinations across the state, boosting local and statewide economies.
We all know that tourists can get a bad rap from residents, yet they are a huge part of what keeps your favorite community experiences supported. The parks, downtown areas, festivals, trails, other recreational areas, and public events are supported through tourist spending for growth, maintenance, and long-term sustainability.
These travelers bring more energy into these community spaces, which encourages investment and preservation of cultural identity, which in turn offers an educational and enriching experience for outsiders and community members alike. Tourists are often drawn to locally owned businesses, historic areas, regional art and traditions, and unique outdoor recreation. This encourages investment in the preservation of what makes their home special, bringing a sense of pride to many community members as the value of local culture and landmarks is highlighted.
While an increase in visitation may come with its own challenges and requires oversight and planning, it enriches communities, keeping them resilient, well-supported, and more diversified.
Policy Makers & Community Leaders
In 2024, domestic leisure travel brought in $876 billion, which is important for economies all across the United States, and maintaining this travel.
Clearly, tourism is a significant economic driver and an important piece of community decision-making. Visitor spending directly impacts tax revenues, infrastructure improvements, and supports long-term investment into neighborhoods. Having a sturdy tourism economy can assist in workplace retention and strengthen small towns, encouraging further economic growth.
Higher rates of visitation bring the need for road maintenance, parking infrastructure, public restrooms, waterfront access, trail systems, emergency systems, and other amenities. Investments in trails, parks, and public spaces not only enhance the residents’ quality of life year-round, but also create more enjoyment of the area and increase the likelihood for travelers to revisit an area. These decisions require a lot of thoughtful planning, not only to improve spaces and foster a desirable place to visit and live, but also to preserve the character, culture, and resources that already exist within a community. Keeping conservation and sustainability at the forefront of these decisions, especially for destinations that are centered around outdoor recreation and landscapes.
Policies and Strategy in the US
Michigan Tourism Act
Recognizes tourism as a driver for income, jobs, and tax revenue statewide. Their policies focus on economic growth, outdoor recreation, destination marketing, statewide collaboration, and preserving the state’s natural and cultural attractions.
- Supports investing state resources into tourism marketing and promotion to attract visitors.
- Encourages coordination between state governments, local governments, tourism bureaus, and businesses to maximize benefits.
- Promotes Michigan as a worldwide destination through marketing campaigns such as Pure Michigan
- Emphasizes support for small businesses, hospitality and outdoor recreation industries, and local employment opportunities.
- Prioritizes updated and accessible information for destinations, urban and rural, statewide.
The National Travel and Tourism Strategy (2022)
A strategy created by the Chamber of Commerce to rebuild and strengthen the tourism industry after the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Funding $750 million for travel, tourism, and outdoor recreation communities provided by the American Rescue Plan and issued by the Economic Development Administration;
- Investing $195 million in climate restoration and resilience projects to protect our national parks, and more, through the U.S. Department of the Interior.