New study of economic benefits
Tourism Economics, which each year releases a report on the economic impact of tourism in New York State, found slow and steady growth in the amount of money spent by visitors in the Hudson Valley, including Dutchess and Putnam counties.
The firm reported that tourism spending in Dutchess County increased 6 percent in 2017 over the previous year, to $602 million. It is the eighth year that spending has increased, for a 25 percent rise since 2013.
Visitors to Dutchess contributed $43 million in local taxes, an increase of 5 percent, the report said. Without tourism dollars, it calculated the average household would pay about $711 more in annual taxes. The industry also employs more than 11,000 people in Dutchess, up 7 percent.
In Putnam, tourists spent $63 million, up 1 percent, and generated $4.6 million in local taxes, an increase of 2 percent. The industry employs 1,400 people and saves each resident about $237 in annual taxes.
The Hudson Valley accounts for the highest percentage of tourist spending outside of New York City, at 21 percent, followed by the Finger Lakes. Tourism spending in the Hudson Valley rose 3.6 percent, to $3.7 billion overall.
