Hot Springs visitors in 2018 spent a record $677 million, a 29% increase since 2013, according to a report released by Visit Hot Springs, the city's advertising and promotional arm.
The report, made available Monday afternoon, said the city had 7.9 million visitors last year, an 18% increase since the last similar study was conducted in 2013. Among other major points of the study:
• Overnight visits accounted for 2.9 million of the trips, or 26%, with spending amounting to $386 million, up 21% from 2013.
• Day trips were up 25%, to 5 million visits, with spending of $291 million.
The study was conducted by Longwoods International, a Toronto company that studies travel and spending in the U.S.
"Travel and tourism continue to make a significant contribution to the economy of Hot Springs, benefiting not just lodging operators and attractions typically associated with tourism, but also other business sectors including food and beverage, retail stores, and sightseeing, recreation businesses and organizations," Michael Erdman, senior vice president of research for Longwoods, said Monday during the report's release.
Longwoods is no stranger to Arkansas.
It contributed to a study of tourism in Arkansas in 2008 that resulted in state advertising dollars being targeted toward specific locations rather than general Arkansas tourism. Erdman said then that potential Arkansas visitors believed the state lacked nightlife, entertainment and interesting cities but, after actually visiting, tourists left with a better impression.
In 2010, Longwoods was paid $36,000 by the state to set up focus groups in Springfield, Mo., Tulsa and Dallas to get travelers' views on their visits to Hot Springs.
"Obviously, this is [a] very good report," said Steve Arrison, chief executive officer of Visit Hot Springs. "It shows that the product we have is improving, that we have the old standbys that are stepping up their game and that we have a lot of new attractions."
Arrison specifically cited gambling at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort with its casino games and "arguably the best live horse racing" in the United States. Oaklawn also recently began a $100 million expansion of its gambling center and construction of a 200-room hotel.
"This past July might have been the best month in Hot Springs history," Arrison added, citing the Oaklawn casino, the area's five lakes, the nearby Ouachita National Forest, Garvan Woodland Gardens and Hot Springs National Park.
While Arrison said he didn't see any shortcomings in the report, he said one improvement would be to entice visitors to longer stays.
Longwoods' report said Hot Springs visitors spent $186 million in restaurants and bars in 2018 and $129 million on accommodations. Retail purchases topped $143 million. Expenditures on sightseeing, entertainment and recreation reached $142 million. Spending on transportation, such as gas, car rentals, parking and taxis amounted to $78 million.
"All sectors benefited from the huge increase in visitor spending over the past five years," Erdman said.
Business on 08/21/2019