What does this measure?
The amount of money (in 2021 dollars) spent by tourists on recreational activities in the region expressed as a rate per resident.
Why is this important?
Recreational opportunities are a key draw for tourists to visit an area which brings external money into a region's economy and fuels the development of new industry and attractions. The sense of a region as a tourist destination increases regional pride, while recreational opportunities contribute to the quality of life of residents.
How is our region performing?
In 2021, over $101 million was spent by tourists on recreation in the region, up 52% from 2020. This significant increase likely reflects a recovery in tourism and travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourism spending in the region equated to $83 per resident, compared to a NYS (excluding NYC) average of $205. Recreation spending at the statewide levels peaked in 2016 and the region peaked in 2007. Since 2005, recreation revenue per resident in the region has decreased 5%.
Among local counties, Genesee had the highest recreation revenue per resident, at $265 followed by Wyoming with $235 which makes both counties above the state (excluding NYC) average. The next highest county was Orleans, at $148. The counties with the least recreation revenue were Livingston and Wayne, at $25 and $23 respectively per resident. Some counties in the region followed the same general pattern, with revenues peaking from 2006 to 2008 and falling sharply in the following years except for Livingston, Seneca, Wyoming and Yates who peaked in 2019. Most counties experienced an increase, however, Genesee, Monroe and Wayne saw decreases from 2005.
Notes about the data
The figures are presented per county resident to allow comparisons among counties of different sizes, but the spending is by tourists. New York State data excludes the heavy concentration of tourism in New York City. This data comes from Empire State Development, which contracts each year with Tourism Economics for a study on New York State tourism. Wineries and other tourism attractions related to agriculture are not included as tourism in this data, which impacts many of the surrounding counties. Data for this indicator are expected to be released in the third quarter.
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYS | $309 | $356 | $379 | $372 | $329 | $332 | $332 | $343 | $347 | $362 | $381 | $417 | $401 | $391 | $418 | $188 | $277 |
| NYS (excluding NYC) | $145 | $195 | $209 | $203 | $180 | $177 | $175 | $178 | $179 | $185 | $195 | $245 | $204 | $174 | $211 | $138 | $205 |
| Region | $88 | $87 | $93 | $90 | $79 | $77 | $75 | $78 | $78 | $77 | $81 | $83 | $85 | $87 | $89 | $55 | $83 |
| Monroe | $84 | $78 | $86 | $81 | $72 | $70 | $69 | $71 | $72 | $70 | $73 | $74 | $75 | $76 | $78 | $45 | $66 |
| Surrounding Counties | $93 | $100 | $105 | $103 | $90 | $87 | $85 | $88 | $88 | $89 | $94 | $97 | $101 | $104 | $105 | $71 | $111 |
| Genesee | $274 | $289 | $289 | $291 | $235 | $226 | $214 | $227 | $228 | $227 | $234 | $236 | $241 | $247 | $259 | $133 | $265 |
| Livingston | $25 | $20 | $19 | $19 | $18 | $17 | $17 | $24 | $21 | $22 | $23 | $24 | $24 | $26 | $26 | $18 | $25 |
| Ontario | $107 | $106 | $114 | $111 | $103 | $102 | $99 | $100 | $101 | $100 | $105 | $108 | $109 | $110 | $107 | $74 | $120 |
| Orleans | $34 | $134 | $141 | $128 | $109 | $110 | $118 | $116 | $113 | $115 | $123 | $131 | $138 | $144 | $145 | $117 | $148 |
| Seneca | $57 | $54 | $60 | $58 | $49 | $46 | $47 | $46 | $48 | $50 | $52 | $57 | $64 | $68 | $69 | $53 | $65 |
| Wayne | $34 | $31 | $28 | $28 | $23 | $21 | $20 | $21 | $20 | $21 | $23 | $23 | $24 | $24 | $25 | $18 | $23 |
| Wyoming | $168 | $144 | $174 | $172 | $163 | $152 | $153 | $155 | $155 | $164 | $181 | $194 | $205 | $218 | $222 | $164 | $235 |
| Yates | $26 | $25 | $27 | $27 | $24 | $24 | $23 | $24 | $25 | $26 | $28 | $29 | $29 | $30 | $32 | $27 | $35 |
Notes: Figures are in constant 2021 dollars.
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYS | $5,909,350,666 | $6,807,856,463 | $7,254,458,470 | $7,151,653,557 | $6,350,599,267 | $6,432,799,915 | $6,479,809,979 | $6,718,303,787 | $6,813,969,792 | $7,123,404,820 | $7,480,404,575 | $8,185,217,625 | $7,862,342,903 | $7,641,474,825 | $8,124,367,125 | $3,798,834,805 | $5,502,052,424 |
| NYS (excluding NYC) | $1,617,452,258 | $2,162,970,982 | $2,318,926,189 | $2,262,191,900 | $2,008,347,234 | $1,978,969,752 | $1,960,937,567 | $2,003,546,164 | $2,014,069,815 | $2,078,468,554 | $2,179,319,528 | $2,736,288,873 | $2,279,621,351 | $1,942,967,940 | $2,348,680,904 | $1,571,324,041 | $2,328,839,206 |
| Region | $105,767,097 | $104,752,217 | $112,783,281 | $108,562,960 | $95,575,919 | $93,263,058 | $91,597,855 | $94,689,105 | $95,054,992 | $94,140,968 | $97,992,393 | $100,464,228 | $102,236,123 | $104,200,564 | $106,322,187 | $67,032,425 | $101,086,247 |
| Monroe | $61,988,723 | $57,716,879 | $63,307,621 | $59,877,246 | $53,300,522 | $52,205,492 | $51,457,336 | $53,182,769 | $53,801,127 | $52,550,922 | $54,268,535 | $55,370,414 | $55,828,973 | $56,471,400 | $58,000,319 | $34,285,318 | $50,046,848 |
| Surrounding Counties | $43,778,374 | $47,035,338 | $49,475,660 | $48,685,715 | $42,275,397 | $41,057,567 | $40,140,519 | $41,506,336 | $41,253,865 | $41,590,046 | $43,723,858 | $45,093,814 | $46,407,150 | $47,729,164 | $48,321,868 | $32,747,107 | $51,039,399 |
| Genesee | $16,456,606 | $17,295,843 | $17,295,179 | $17,458,100 | $14,056,434 | $13,572,359 | $12,809,930 | $13,550,534 | $13,465,400 | $13,351,620 | $13,700,841 | $13,714,111 | $13,925,461 | $14,224,346 | $14,838,928 | $7,790,427 | $15,344,134 |
| Livingston | $1,613,610 | $1,321,248 | $1,255,907 | $1,236,759 | $1,146,845 | $1,114,668 | $1,109,158 | $1,526,657 | $1,373,957 | $1,390,108 | $1,453,947 | $1,512,064 | $1,552,064 | $1,621,622 | $1,646,752 | $1,134,866 | $1,563,015 |
| Ontario | $11,181,501 | $11,072,673 | $11,943,527 | $11,817,175 | $10,992,285 | $11,027,386 | $10,704,045 | $10,876,791 | $11,003,118 | $10,949,533 | $11,426,088 | $11,789,279 | $11,953,323 | $12,021,901 | $11,731,078 | $8,339,775 | $13,541,454 |
| Orleans | $1,476,252 | $5,814,565 | $6,109,639 | $5,541,502 | $4,689,688 | $4,734,544 | $5,017,298 | $4,910,909 | $4,783,368 | $4,812,724 | $5,099,454 | $5,389,982 | $5,632,311 | $5,866,477 | $5,843,318 | $4,715,468 | $5,950,747 |
| Seneca | $2,007,648 | $1,904,586 | $2,131,513 | $2,057,084 | $1,734,162 | $1,637,829 | $1,660,340 | $1,616,563 | $1,692,244 | $1,742,860 | $1,824,140 | $1,988,855 | $2,205,390 | $2,312,247 | $2,350,890 | $1,795,915 | $2,200,726 |
| Wayne | $3,188,372 | $2,854,863 | $2,643,807 | $2,603,343 | $2,177,491 | $1,944,767 | $1,831,533 | $1,945,216 | $1,882,901 | $1,948,659 | $2,110,826 | $2,127,667 | $2,151,222 | $2,190,356 | $2,266,424 | $1,657,294 | $2,050,233 |
| Wyoming | $7,205,055 | $6,143,868 | $7,403,445 | $7,289,331 | $6,870,968 | $6,420,837 | $6,420,210 | $6,460,547 | $6,416,057 | $6,740,538 | $7,405,386 | $7,855,727 | $8,252,248 | $8,741,115 | $8,853,633 | $6,648,476 | $9,523,627 |
| Yates | $649,329 | $627,693 | $692,644 | $682,421 | $607,525 | $605,177 | $588,006 | $619,119 | $636,821 | $654,004 | $703,176 | $716,128 | $735,130 | $751,100 | $790,845 | $664,887 | $865,464 |
Notes: Figures are in constant 2021 dollars.
Worse than NYS by 10% or more
Up to 10% worse than NYS
Equal to or better than NYS| INDICATORS - Grouped by Topic | REGIONAL VALUE | YEAR | NYS COMPARISON | TREND | REGION |
|---|
Worse than NYS by 10% or more Up to 10% worse than NYS Equal to or better than NYS
Children & Youth
Community Vitality
Demographics
Economic Security
Economy
Education
Health
Housing
Public Safety
