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Suites, and TownePlace Suites by Marriott – all joining the market in 2021 and increasing the total hotel room supply in the area to 6,500. As we are just emerging from the pandemic, it’s hard to quantify overall tourism impact. However, as Reed points out, Rochester just hosted back-to-back state political conventions for the Republican and DFL parties. The estimated economic impact from just these two conventions is $2.3 million in direct spending in the community, including on lodging, dining, shopping, gas and other services. “We look forward to continuing to host more and more large groups, from conventions to medical meetings and amateur sporting events,” Reed says. “Their presence in the community is not only a great infusion to the local economy, but a great way to introduce and reintroduce Rochester to thousands of visitors from all over Minnesota and the United States.” Tourism’s Vital Role Tourism will always be an important development priority for the Rochester community as it supports jobs and helps to generate tax dollars that are reinvested into community infrastructure improvements and services that enhance quality of life.
explains, all the measures of tourism, occupancy in hotels, average rate in hotels, and revenue per available room are all going up for 2022. Occupancy is up 20.8% YTD, ADR 12.9% and revenue per available room up 36%. “That bodes well for hotels and their ability to attract and service our visitors and the collective impact for retail stores, and restaurants to provide needed clothing, food, beverage, and other related products,” Thilges says. In addition, 2022 is proving to be a great year for live entertainment in Rochester with over 30 concerts planned with an attendance of almost 50,000 attendees. “The Rochester business community is a wide group of stakeholders that all benefit from tourism. From airlines to charter bus services to hotels and restaurants, and even the retail/service sector, each of them benefits from every tourism dollar spent in Rochester,” Thilges says. “The average visitor to Rochester spends: $1,200 to $2,155 a week while in Rochester or $172 to $308 per day. We love Rochester and see a bright future awaits us.”
Photo Credit: Experience Rochester
The average visitor to Rochester spends $1,200 to $2,155 a week on restaurants, lodging, retail, and other local businesses.
“At the heart of our story, RST remains a destination airport that serves the needs of medical travelers coming to Mayo Clinic,” Reed says. “The biggest impact we can offer to all travelers is an experience that seeks to put the customer first through agility and accountability, responsiveness to stakeholder needs, and empowerment of staff to embed safety and security in all that we do.” Industry experts agree that the travel and tourism industry in Rochester is l ooking bright As Thilges
Advantage Magazine | 7
June 2022
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