Mid-year highlights
Room night bookings for both conventions and leisure tourism were up dramatically at midyear from June 2008.
The Convention Sales team secured 20,687 booked room nights in May, up from 5,638 in May 2008 to finish June up 17.21 percent year-to-date from June 2008.
The Tourism department sold 417 Roar & Explore travel packages and 1,054 room nights through July 6 for a 26.37 percent increase in booked online leisure room nights from June 2008. Roar & Explore is the most successful of any Experience Columbus online travel package since the program debuted in 2003. It consists of a partnership between the Bob Evans, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium/Zoombezi Bay, COSI Columbus, Drury Inn & Suites, Graeter's Ice Cream and the Dublin Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Lodging taxes
These figures from the City Income Tax Division and City Auditor’s Office combine the collections for city and county lodging taxes.
| May | 2008 | 2009 | Change |
| (MTD) | $2,733,814 | $2,261,933 | -17.26% |
| (YTD) | $12,242,913 | $10,409,292 | -14.98% |
| June | 2008 | 2009 | Change |
| (MTD) | $2,632,069 | $2,257,233 | -14.24% |
| (YTD) | $14,874,982 | $12,666,525 | -14.85% |
Performance measurables
The following figures are year-to-date comparisons through June 2009:
CONVENTION SALES
Booked room nights:| 2008: 69,667 | 2009: 81,654 | Change: +17.21% |
New leads generated:
| 2008: 240 | 2009: 270 | Change: +12.50% |
CONVENTION SERVICES
Leads to members, referrals to meeting planners:| 2008: 323 | 2009: 251 | Change: -22.29% |
MEMBERSHIP
New members:| 2008: 65 | 2009: 51 | Change: -21.54% |
TOURISM
Online room night bookings:| 2008: 1,813 | 2009: 2,291 | Change: +26.37% |
Visitor Center traffic:
| 2008: 43,078 | 2009: 34,797 | Change: -19.22% |
Top origins of visitors: Central Ohio; Cleveland; Cincinnati; Dayton; Charleston, W. Va.; Toledo
WEB SITE SESSIONS
| 2008: 919,769 | 2009: 1,393,211 | Change: +51.47% |
Experience Columbus is the official travel and tourism resource for Columbus, Ohio
277 W. Nationwide Blvd., Ste. 125 - Columbus, Ohio 43215
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