The study, conducted by the London-based World Travel and Tourism Council, translates tourism and travel numbers into a form that allows the industry to be compared to others such as manufacturing. The state Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism hopes to use the numbers to better attract tourists and convince legislators of the importance of investing in tourism. The industry directly and indirectly accounts for 201,100 jobs, or 10.1 percent of total employment.
Tourism ranks fifth in employment in the state.
It followed only textiles in that category. Travel and tourism ranks sixth among government spending on other industries in the state with 1.9 percent of government spending, below the average spent in other states, according to the report. Another area of warning is excess room inventory, which can lower room rental rates. Durst said PRT will study the finding of the report, as well as the recommendations. The recommendations included long-term planning, encouraging market diversification to avoid excessive strains on the coastal environment, developing human capital and promoting responsibility in natural, social and cultural environments.