Sanborn, Iowa, — O’Brien County continues to be a leader in tourism for the state of Iowa, with results in the top ten percent.
O’Brien County Economic Development Corporation director Kiana L. Johnson says the Iowa Tourism Office has published their 2024 Economic Impact of Tourism report, which shows travel-generated expenditures in O’Brien County totaled $20.4 million last year. This year’s increase in direct visitor spending for O’Brien County is 5.7%, with only 9 of the 99 counties in our state reaching a higher percentage increase, says Johnson.
She says the largest portion of travel-generated spending in O’Brien County was once again in the transportation category at $6.2 million, with food & beverage following at $4.8 million. Lodging expenditures totaled $3.9 million, with retail and recreation spending coming in at $3.2 million and $2.3 million, respectively.
Johnson says that across the state of Iowa, tourism-related expenditures reached $7.5 billion in 2024, which was a 2.8% increase over 2023. Additional data from this study shows travel-generated state and local tax receipts at $1.2 billion with daily spending by visitors calculated at $20.5 million.
She says that O’Brien County Tourism has been working hard to promote what is unique and exceptional in the county. She says they are excited to see this continued growth in tourism’s impact on O’Brien County.
The 2024 Travel Iowa Economic Impact of Tourism report is available at traveliowa.com.
