DUBUQUE COUNTY 6TH BIGGEST TOURISM HUB IN STATE

DUBUQUE, Iowa – A newly released, statewide study shows tourists spent more than $329 million in Dubuque County last year, the sixth-highest total among counties statewide.

Neighboring counties experienced mixed results in 2015, according to the study.

Employment related to tourism in Dubuque County increased 1.4 percent in 2015 over the previous year, while total payroll for these workers jumped by 4 percent. Tourism employment at the end of 2015 stood at 2,870 in the county, while the 2015 payroll climbed to $52.6 million.

Overall tourism expenditures in the county increased by just 0.1 percent, however, reflecting a trend seen throughout the state.

Keith Rahe, president and CEO of Dubuque Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the increases in payroll and employment both signal strength in local tourism. And he said he believes the rise in expenditures, albeit small, is still a step in the right direction.

“We are happy with the numbers,” said Rahe. “It is a small increase, but it is still an increase. We are happy to see that we are continuing to grow.”

Statewide tourism spending totaled $8.1 billion in 2015, an increase of 0.1 percent over the previous year. (full article…)

BY JEFF MONTGOMERY, Dubuque Telegraph Herald, September 7, 2016

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