TOURISM

Why is this important?

Tuolumne County is a major tourist destination and a popular site for the film industry. As such, the local economy is dependent upon a strong and vibrant tourist industry.

What is the measure?

Direct travel spending is the amount spent by nonresidents in Tuolumne County on accommodations, food, entertainment, travel, and other related expenses. This includes campers, day visitors, and those who stay in hotels. Transient occupancy taxes are one of the most direct means for jurisdictions to collect revenues from visitors. They are also a useful indicator of travel activity, since almost all of these sales are made to travelers. Transient occupancy tax receipts therefore provide a basis for evaluating both travel trends and the distribution of travel activity.

How are we doing?

Tuolumne County generated $143.2 million for 2003, in direct visitor spending. Visitor spending for hotel/ accommodations was $32.5 million; food and beverage services accounted for $39.8 million; arts, entertainment, and recreation totaled $25.7 million; and retail sales equaled $25.9 million.

Direct earnings from travel spending in 2003 is recorded at $46.9 million, up from $45.1 million the prior year; while total direct tax receipts surpassed $2.3 million, up from $2.2 million in 2002. Total direct employment is reported at 2,340.

We have more than 80 hotels, bed & breakfast inns, and vacation rental companies in the county, which provide more than 1,500 rooms. Public and private campgrounds and RV parks total more than 3,000 spaces.

Direct travel spending in our neighboring counties of Calaveras and Amador allow us a "regional" perspective. In 2003, Calaveras County reported $131 million and Amador County showed $101.6 million in visitor spending, as opposed to Tuolumne County’s $143.2 million.