HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — With an increase in tourism, Huntsville’s travel agencies are seeing the benefit. According to the Alabama Tourism department, more than 23,000 jobs in Madison County are either directly or indirectly linked to travel and Huntsville International Airport is seeing majority of that. "March this year was really historically important for us," Mary Swanstrom, Public Relations manager with the airport shares. "It is mark's that the largest number of passenger that we've seen in Huntsville International Airport."
According to the airport, in March, 137, 372 passengers flew through the airport, 16 percent above last year's numbers and majority of that increase comes from residents choosing to fly local. "So, the evidence that we're seeing for this large number of passenger traffic in March is that we're seeing more people choosing to fly from Huntsville," Swanstrom shares. "We're also seeing the airlines are offering more seats and more routes."
Swanstrom also notes that those addition of routes is why it's important to choose to fly local. "It's so important that our local community shops Huntsville first, we have very competitive airfares that we are seeing and part of that is the result of Breeze putting pressure on the mainline carriers Delta, American and United," Swanstrom explains. "So, walkup fares are actually pretty much competitive with Birmingham in some cases. We're lower on fares than in Birmingham and believe it or not, some cases for Nashville, but we need our community to choose to fly Huntsville because that lets the airlines know that they need to provide more service, they need to provide more seats, they need to provide more routes, and they need to be competitive on-air fares to serve our community."
That increase traffic also allows for the airport to expand in other ways. "So, this is going to be a very busy year for construction in our airports, thanks to those funds from the FAA to the Airport Terminal Improvement Program," Swanstrom shares. "We have some renovations going on, including our restrooms on the concourse that are right about midway through the concourse where the restaurant is going to see that renovation is going to be really great for families and for those caregivers who are traveling with adult folks who need help in the in taking care of themselves. Then also, we're going to see some changes around our wayfinding and then there will be some changes as our concourse construction project, where the elevators and escalators are, will be winding up towards the end of the year. there's going to be a lot going on this year."
Previous Coverage:
Charles Winters, Executive Vice President of the Huntsville Madison Conventions & Visitors Bureau shares many that visit the Rocket City are often surprised by what they find. “ What we hear a lot is I really didn't know everything about Huntsville until I got here. I had no idea that y'all had so much to see and do,” Winters shares. “ We just had a very successful pop culture and comic activity. I think there were over 22,000 who participated in that. The National Children's Advocacy Center had their conference here, The Army, they always have very strong attendance at their conference. You look at all of those activities, in addition to the sporting events and other activities, there's just really a lot for both residents and visitors alike to enjoy.”
The Alabama Tourism Department released its annual 2023 Alabama Tourism Impact Report Madison County continues to be among the leading counties in the state with growth in all categories. “The state did have $23.5 billion in impact. North Alabama and specifically Madison County had more than $2.4 billion just in Madison County,” Winters shares. “There were more than 2.7 million visitors who stayed in hotel rooms. Restaurants saw a good portion of that. And really, you know, just the economic benefit throughout the community really increased substantially over last year.”
Hospitality was one area that saw the most significant growth. “Folks who come to visit need a place to stay. So, you know, there are increasing numbers of hotels and more rooms available, not only in the downtown area, which is great for the Von Braun Center, folks visiting downtown, but also, you know, there's going to have a music festival here in September. So, all those visitors will be staying really community wide,” Winters explains.
According to the report, here are a few key takeaways for Madison County from the 2023 report:
Travel-related expenditures in Madison Co. grew by 15% with more than $2.4 Billion in revenue, setting a new record.
3,974,596 visitors (estimated) to Madison County in 2023.
This record increase spurred growth in the travel-related employment sector in Madison Co., 5.7% higher than in 2022 with 23,355 jobs.
2.8 million visitors stayed overnight in hotels in Madison County – more than any other county!
Madison County maintains its ranking at #2 in the "Most Visited Counties in Alabama" list:
Baldwin County
MADISON COUNTY
Mobile County
Jefferson County
Montgomery County
That impact also helped the residents of Madison County. “So according to the Alabama Tourism Department, more than 23,000 jobs in Madison County are either directly or indirectly linked to travel and the economic impact of $2.4 billion saved every household in Madison County from having to pay more than 1300 dollars in taxes last year,” Winters shares. “So, if people wonder what the economic impact is, how does that affect me? That's how it affects the standard homeowner.”