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52 Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce 2023 Economic Trends 20 Industry: Tourism Savannah exudes a beauty and charm that few, if any, destinations can match. Savannah's tourism and hospitality industry continues to be one of the largest economic drivers for the region. Travel to Savannah remains strong, and the city enjoys visitors from all over the world. In 2022, Savannah was included in Travel & Leisure's "Top 5 Cities to Visit in the U.S." and "Best Weekend Destination to Visit" by Global Traveler. The Savannah tourism sector rebounded strongly from the pandemic. In 2021, 15.2 million visitors came to Savannah including 8.3 million overnight visitors and 6.9 million day-visitors. The demand for rooms increased 34.1% in 2021 while the supply of available rooms increased 10% to 18,220. In 2021, room tax revenue rose to $36.6 million, doubling revenue from the pandemic year of 2020. Visitor spending increased 18% to $3.3 billion. Tourism's Impact on Savannah/Chatham County 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Number of Lodging Rooms (1) 15,549 16,199 16,894 16,567 18,220 Person-Stays (Overnight) (2) 8 Million 8.2 Million 8.4 Million 7.7 Million 8.3 Million Room Night Demand (1) 3.8 Million 3.9 Million 4.1 Million 2.9 Million 4.1 Million Direct Spending (2) $2.9 Billion $3 Billion $3.1 Billion $2.8 Billion $3.3 Billion Room Tax Revenue (3) $25.5 Million $26.7 Million $27.7 Million $18.2 Million $36.6 Million Sources: Visit Savannah 1 Smith Travel Research – Chatham County 2 Longwoods International 3 City of Savannah/Chatham County/Tybee Island Savannah's tourists enjoy year-round activities. Although the busiest months in terms of visitation are April, May, and June, tourism activity is spread fairly evenly across the year. For overnight visitors, the mix is 89% leisure travel and 11% business and business-leisure. 68% of over-night visitors are repeat visitors and stay approximately 2.5 nights in Savannah. Savannah excels in special interest tourism activities and continues to be an exciting destination. Savannah's distinctive qualities allow the city to stand out in the crowd. In top interest categories for overnight visitors, Savannah remains far ahead of typical national levels in exceptional culinary experiences, cultural activities and historic places. Source: VisitSavannah.