BALTIMORE (AP) - Maryland officials say tourism spending increased in 2017, despite a drop in overall visitors.
The Baltimore Sun cites a release from the Maryland Department of Commerce that says visitors to Maryland spent more than $17 billion in 2017, up 2.1 percent from the previous year.
Overall visitation dropped from 42.1 million in 2016 to 41.5 million last year, but officials touted an increase in visitors from targeted markets, like New York. Visitors from New York increased 10 percent last year, which Commerce Secretary Mike Gill credited to marketing strategy and efforts to enhance the visitor experience.
A study conducted by Tourism Economics showed that visitors generated $2.4 billion in state and local taxes.
State officials announced the numbers Wednesday at the Maryland Tourism and Travel Summit.
