The State of Arkansas has released a report on the economic values of visitors to the state and Baxter County and the Twin Lakes Area shows a big jump in spending. The report is based on numbers for 2022.
Baxter County saw a 14.2% increase in the amount of money spent by visitors last year. Fulton County was up 6%, Izard County had a 10.1% increase in visitor spending, Stone County was up 3.4% and Boone County saw a 7.1% increase. Three counties in the area had a decrease in revenues. Marion County was down 1.6%, Searcy County saw a 3.9% decrease and Newton County was down 10.1%.
Dani Pugsley is the President and CEO of the Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce. She says the report is about what they expected.
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The chamber president says one key point when it comes to the amount of money visitors spend, is the lowering of the tax burden for local residents.
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Pugsley says there is another number that jumps out from the report showing the magnitude tourists have on the local economy.
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The numbers next year look to be good too. Pugsley says so far in 2023, Baxter County has seen a 28% increase in the number of visitors.
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Click here for the full report.
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