The Economic Impact of Travel on Maryland Counties 2003, a study prepared for the Maryland Office of Tourism Development, shows increases in the areas of overall expenditures, payroll, and state and local tax receipts in Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's counties.
Travel expenditures in Calvert County rose by 6.2%, up from $56.0 million in 2002 to $59.5 million in 2003. In Charles County, expenditures rose by 1.9%, up from $69.8 million in 2002 to $71.2 million in 2003. Expenditures in St. Mary's County rose by 5.0%, from $5.5 million in 2002, to $55.1 million in 2003. Travel expenditures include spending by international and domestic visitors in the areas of food service, lodging, transportation, entertainment and recreation, and general retail.
Travel-generated payroll figures in 2003 for Southern Maryland are: $15 million in Calvert County (up 4.9%), $18.6 million in Charles County (up 0.7%), and 19.7 million in St. Mary's County (up 3.7%). Travel-generated payroll is income paid to employees directly serving the traveler such as those working in the food service and lodging sectors.
State and local tax receipts for each county were reported as follows: Calvert County: state receipts at $2.9 million (up 5.5%) and local receipts at $4.0 million (up 6.0%), Charles County, state receipts at $4.0 million (up 1.2%) and local receipts at $3.5 million (up 1.7%), St. Mary's County state receipts at $2.6 million (up 4.3%) and local receipts at $3.3 million (up 4.8%).
Travel industry employment increases were up in Calvert County (3.2%) and St. Mary's County (2.0%), with a slight decrease in Charles County by 1%.
"With an increase in the expenditures made by visitors over last year, tourism continues to be a major economic engine in Calvert County. We are looking forward to a very busy and successful season again this year and are happy to have a destination where our guests can "Discover a place where there are still places to discover..." notes Tourism Specialist Herman E. Schieke, Jr., Tourism Specialist for Calvert County.
Joanne Roland, Tourism Director for Charles County states "Each year our economic figures are strong and continue to grow. Since we will be hosting several major tournaments the numbers will continue to increase. What a win/win situation for our county".
Carolyn Laray, who manages Tourism for St. Mary's County notes, "This is good news for each county respectively and for all of Southern Maryland. Our counties continue our strong partnership in developing collaborative products and collectively marketing them*as these figures reflect".
During 2003, domestic and international travelers to Maryland spent more than $9.3 billion on transportation, lodging, food, entertainment and recreation and incidentals, up 3.3 % from 2002. In 2003, domestic and international traveler spending in Maryland directly generated nearly $2 billion in tax revenue for federal, state and local governments, up 2.4% from 2002. The report was produced by the Research Department of the Travel Industry Association of America.