NEW: Huntsville tourism reaches an all time high

Tourism
Huntsville is becoming a hot spot for the state. (McCarley Northway / Hville Blast)

A new economic report by the state says that in 2023 Madison County made more money from tourism than any other year.

We’ve got a breakdown of how this compares to other counties and how this has a direct impact on you financially.

Tourism in the state

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The Space and Rocket Center sees more than 650,000 visitors each year. (Christian Stanfield / Hville Blast)

In 2023 Madison County made $2,427,319,395 in tourism-related spending.

That’s a 14.5% increase over 2022 and a 37.3% increase over 2021. Much of this spending comes from hot spots like the Space and Rocket Center, MidCity and the VBC as well as common tourism expenses like hotels and food.

Madison County estimates that almost 4 million people visited Rocket City last year and that tourism directly contributes to 23,355 jobs.

These numbers make Madison County the second highest earning county in the state for tourism behind Baldwin County, beating out Mobile at third and Jefferson at fourth.

Overall, the state saw 29 million tourists which generated a combined economic impact of $23.5 billion. You can find the full 2023 Economic Report for Alabama here.

How does this impact you?

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John Hunt Park is set to host the new South Star music festival. (McCarley Northway / Hville Blast)

In addition to bringing more business to the city, the tourism industry directly impacts your income.

Because of tourism, every household in Huntsville/Madison County saved more than $1,300 in taxes.

Next year aims to be an even bigger year in Huntsville with high-profile events taking place in the city like the South Star music festival, new impressive experiences opening and an expansion to event spaces at the VBC.

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Christian Stanfield
Christian Stanfield
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