Hudson Valley tourism hit $5B in 2023 according to new report

A new report on tourism in the Hudson Valley shows that during 2023 visitors to the region spent $5 billion. Spending on food and beverages made up 34% of the total while spending at retailers and service stations accounted for 23% of the total. Spending on lodging made up 22% of the total.

The report, titled “Economic Impact of Visitors In New York 2023: Hudson Valley Focus” was produced by the Oxford Economics company Tourism Economics.

Westchester County represented 43% of the region’s tourism sales and came to $2.2 billion. Orange County accounted for 24% of visitor spending in 2023, according to the report. The share for Dutchess was 15% and Rockland received 11% of the dollar volume. Putnam County received 2% of the region’s tourism spending.

The report said that 53,479 people in the Hudson Valley were employed by businesses that were in some way involved in tourism. Direct income for labor was $1.6 billion, with $1.3 billion of that located in Westchester.

“Tourism in Hudson Valley generated $614 million in state and local taxes in 2023. Sales, property, and hotel bed taxes contributed $346 million in local taxes. Westchester County constituted 42.2% of the region’s tourism tax base,” the report said.

“Orange County’s dynamic tourism opportunities continue to powerfully fuel the local economy, helping to create jobs and fund municipal services. Visitor spending revenue has helped keep Orange County’s taxes at rates not seen since the 1960s,” said Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus. “Orange County’s rich blend of history, cutting-edge attractions, family-friendly destinations, and natural beauty support local residents’ quality of life and appeal to visitors’ sense of adventure.”

New York state recorded a 5% increase in visitation to 306.3 million travelers in 2023, up from 291.5 million in 2022, while state and local tax revenues generated by tourism saved the average New York State household $1,420 in taxes. Tourism-supported jobs accounted for 7.4% of all jobs in the state last year, up from 7.1% in the prior year. Statewide, visitor spending was $88 billion in 2023, and tourism had a total economic impact of $137 billion, according to the report.