At the start of National Tourism Week, Alabama tourism reported a record-breaking 10% upswing.
The average increase over the last decade has been only 5.5% a year.
So what happened?
State Tourism Director Lee Sentell credited the growth of tourism to several factors, particularly the popularity of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail and resort hotels built by the Retirement Systems of Alabama. But special events have also played a part.
“Our ‘Year of’ campaigns have also been extremely popular,” Mr Sentell said.
“Both the Year of Outdoor Alabama and the Year of Alabama Food have won awards, and we anticipate continued success with the current Year of Alabama Arts campaign,” he added.
Report by David Wilkening
