2 days ago
Tourism study shows rebound in visitors
A recently tourism study shows visitors to Joplin spent more than $209 million here in a year and that the visitor numbers have rebounded since a decline during the COVID-19 pandemic.
'It was good to know that the spending power of our guests definitely has an impact both directly and indirectly,' said Patrick Tuttle, director of the Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau, of the study results.
The bureau retained the firm of Downs & St. Germain Research of Tallahassee, Florida, to provide updated data on the impact of tourism on Joplin's economy.
Joseph St. Germain, president of the firm, said more than 2,000 surveys were done of visitors from April 2024 through March 2025 to collect data. Much of the information was harvested from field interviews of visitors and some through the use of email or QR code questionnaires or online panels.
Overall, the results showed that more 1.15 million visitors were here during the span of that year. Their spending helps support a number of jobs available here, the study reported.
Though the survey showed $209 million in direct spending, the total economic impact is calculated at $408.8 million from the indirect spending of those who provide services, meals and merchandise to visitors.
St. Germain said that the indirect spending occurs when hotels, restaurants, convenience stores and other businesses buy things from the revenue resulting from visitors.
Visitors used 415,600 nights of lodging during the survey year, which provided a large share of the spending.
The firm's study showed that tourism spending provided 2,730 jobs and more than $95.8 million in wages.
Sports and Route 66 travel were two of the categories driving visitors to Joplin.
Mike Greninger, a hotel manager who also operates Parkwood Tournaments, staging baseball and softball events, said these types of studies are helpful to those who depend on tourism and travel.
'It's a lot easier to track sporting events. There are so many things to track and you can gauge numbers better' with studies like this one.
'I'm amazed at how much travel and how many guests we receive from Route 66,' he said. In addition, Joplin and surrounding cities along with universities and other sports promoters do a good job, he said.
'I see our lobby in the mornings full of kids on their way traveling somewhere. We're at the crossroads here, and that's a benefit. They say half of the country's population are within a day's drive of here, and that's significant,' he said.
As a father who traveled for his daughter to play ball, he added, 'The economic impact numbers are significant. Sometimes it's hard for people to believe them but they are true.'
Bouncing back
Tuttle said the study also showed that visits and hotel stays have bounced back after a downturn because of COVID-19.
'It's good that our occupancy rate was back to where it was before the pandemic,' Tuttle said of the report's results. 'A lot of towns were expecting to meet that mark this year. Before the pandemic, we were at 60% occupancy and we were at 60 to 65% of our motels rooms used during the reporting week.'
Studies like this one are commissioned, he said, because 'it helps us in our marketing effort' so that advertising efforts can be targeted toward those likely to visit. 'It also helps to understand where some of the value is, where guests are going and what they're doing while they're here,' Tuttle said.
The bureau will continue to collect data from visitors 'so we can keep the information current and see where the peaks and value are. We will crunch the numbers annually and see where we are. It's a tool to continue with our efforts,' he said.
Another of the economic benefits to Joplin residents resulting from tourism is that visitor spending supplants $336 per household in state and local taxes that would have had to have been paid by locals without the dollars generated from those out-of-town visitors, the report showed.
Nearly half of those who came into Joplin, or about 527,000, were here for a day trip and did not stay the night.
The top three reasons cited for visiting Joplin were to spend time with friends and/or relatives for 30% of those surveyed. About 23% were here to attend a sporting event, and another 23% came for a special occasion or event.
Sports and Route 66 are good draws of visitors to Joplin, according to the report's numbers.
The survey analysts said that about 1 in 5 of those who came here were regional, living within 70 miles of Joplin. The largest group are those who live in nearby cities and communities. Next are visitors from Springfield, Kansas City, Tulsa in Oklahoma, St. Louis and Northwest Arkansas.
Those who traveled from farther away were from cities such as Minneapolis-St. Paul, Dallas-Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, Chicago and Denver.
While they were here, the most common activities were dining out, shopping, visiting friends and relatives, going to sporting events, and taking in Route 66.
Other popular activities were going to historic sites, and seeing or driving by historical homes and buildings.
