HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — 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.”