Tourists in Alabama spend record-breaking $24 billion in 2024
FOX10 News
[{'start': '0.080', 'end': '4.560', 'text': 'Well, Alabama just set another tourism'}, {'start': '2.399', 'end': '6.319', 'text': 'record with nearly 29 million visitors'}, {'start': '4.560', 'end': '7.759', 'text': 'last year. How about that? And they'}, {'start': '6.319', 'end': '9.280', 'text': "didn't just come to look around. They"}, {'start': '7.759', 'end': '12.480', 'text': "were spending some money. We're talking"}, {'start': '9.280', 'end': '14.960', 'text': '$24 billion according to the latest'}, {'start': '12.480', 'end': '16.400', 'text': "report. Fox's Brendan Kirby is live to"}, {'start': '14.960', 'end': '18.240', 'text': 'break this all down. And Brendan, the'}, {'start': '16.400', 'end': '20.080', 'text': 'Gulf Coast playing a big role in those'}, {'start': '18.240', 'end': '21.920', 'text': 'numbers. Yeah, it sure did. Cameron'}, {'start': '20.080', 'end': '24.320', 'text': 'Lenise. Bowwin County remains the'}, {'start': '21.920', 'end': '28.480', 'text': "state's top tourist hot spot, but Mobile"}, {'start': '24.320', 'end': '30.800', 'text': 'County is quickly gaining ground.'}, {'start': '28.480', 'end': '35.360', 'text': 'Tourism spending in Alabama soared to'}, {'start': '30.800', 'end': '37.520', 'text': 'nearly $24 billion in 2024, up almost a'}, {'start': '35.360', 'end': '39.280', 'text': 'billion dollars from the year before.'}, {'start': '37.520', 'end': '41.760', 'text': 'According to the Alabama Tourism'}, {'start': '39.280', 'end': '43.920', 'text': "Department, it's the fourth time in 5"}, {'start': '41.760', 'end': '46.480', 'text': 'years the state has seen that kind of'}, {'start': '43.920', 'end': '48.239', 'text': "billion dollar growth. And it's no"}, {'start': '46.480', 'end': '50.960', 'text': 'surprise where many of those visitors'}, {'start': '48.239', 'end': '52.960', 'text': "were headed. Baldwin County's White Sand"}, {'start': '50.960', 'end': '54.800', 'text': 'beaches. The county more than doubled'}, {'start': '52.960', 'end': '56.640', 'text': 'the number of visitors compared to any'}, {'start': '54.800', 'end': '60.559', 'text': 'other in the state, accounting for'}, {'start': '56.640', 'end': '62.480', 'text': "nearly 29% of all of Alabama's tourism."}, {'start': '60.559', 'end': '64.239', 'text': 'Crystal Hines, vice president of'}, {'start': '62.480', 'end': '66.960', 'text': 'marketing for Gulf Shores and Orange'}, {'start': '64.239', 'end': '68.880', 'text': 'Beach tourism, says the area had a good'}, {'start': '66.960', 'end': '71.840', 'text': 'year. Gulf Shores and Orange Beach'}, {'start': '68.880', 'end': '74.720', 'text': 'Alabama is a huge economic provides a'}, {'start': '71.840', 'end': '77.520', 'text': 'huge economic impact for tourism and for'}, {'start': '74.720', 'end': '79.600', 'text': 'the entire county as well as the state.'}, {'start': '77.520', 'end': '81.680', 'text': "Um, so yeah, we're excited to see those"}, {'start': '79.600', 'end': '83.840', 'text': 'numbers basically flat year-over-year,'}, {'start': '81.680', 'end': '86.080', 'text': 'which is good for us. Mobile County'}, {'start': '83.840', 'end': '88.000', 'text': "ranked third, meaning the state's two"}, {'start': '86.080', 'end': '90.479', 'text': 'coastal counties together accounted for'}, {'start': '88.000', 'end': '92.799', 'text': 'a quarter of all tourists. Their'}, {'start': '90.479', 'end': '96.240', 'text': 'combined direct and indirect tourism'}, {'start': '92.799', 'end': '99.520', 'text': 'spending topped $3.4 billion, roughly'}, {'start': '96.240', 'end': '102.479', 'text': '40% of the state total. Visit Mobile'}, {'start': '99.520', 'end': '105.840', 'text': 'President and CEO David Clark says while'}, {'start': '102.479', 'end': '108.640', 'text': 'statewide tourism grew by about 120,000'}, {'start': '105.840', 'end': '111.520', 'text': 'visitors, Mobile County alone brought in'}, {'start': '108.640', 'end': '113.600', 'text': '74,000 of those. We caught more than our'}, {'start': '111.520', 'end': '115.680', 'text': 'fair share of market compared to the'}, {'start': '113.600', 'end': '117.600', 'text': 'other cities in the state this year.'}, {'start': '115.680', 'end': '120.079', 'text': "What we're starting to see now is Mobile"}, {'start': '117.600', 'end': '122.159', 'text': "grow even more and I think you're going"}, {'start': '120.079', 'end': '123.920', 'text': 'to see that continued trend happen over'}, {'start': '122.159', 'end': '126.520', 'text': 'the next 5 or 10 years in a really good'}, {'start': '123.920', 'end': '128.959', 'text': 'way. Fort Payne residents Mel and Fay'}, {'start': '126.520', 'end': '132.000', 'text': 'Mendiola who were in the area for a'}, {'start': '128.959', 'end': '133.920', 'text': 'conference stopped by the USS Alabama'}, {'start': '132.000', 'end': '136.000', 'text': 'battleship Memorial Park for the first'}, {'start': '133.920', 'end': '138.599', 'text': 'time in years. I think the last time we'}, {'start': '136.000', 'end': '143.040', 'text': 'were here though this'}, {'start': '138.599', 'end': '144.879', 'text': "outside airplanes and um weren't here so"}, {'start': '143.040', 'end': '147.360', 'text': "was a long time ago. So it's a big"}, {'start': '144.879', 'end': '149.440', 'text': 'improvement. Pittsburgh residents Mike'}, {'start': '147.360', 'end': '151.920', 'text': 'and Wendy Kerr also stopped off at the'}, {'start': '149.440', 'end': '154.800', 'text': 'battleship, checking Alabama off their'}, {'start': '151.920', 'end': '156.560', 'text': 'quest to visit all 50 states. They say'}, {'start': '154.800', 'end': '159.360', 'text': 'they started their quest in the middle'}, {'start': '156.560', 'end': '161.640', 'text': 'part of the country in 2021. The second'}, {'start': '159.360', 'end': '164.800', 'text': 'year we did the northern'}, {'start': '161.640', 'end': '166.879', 'text': 'part. Third year we did Northeast. We'}, {'start': '164.800', 'end': '168.879', 'text': 'chose this because we have veterans in'}, {'start': '166.879', 'end': '170.720', 'text': "our family. You He's a veteran. My dad"}, {'start': '168.879', 'end': '174.400', 'text': "was a veteran. My brother's a veteran."}, {'start': '170.720', 'end': '176.640', 'text': 'So we like the military type stuff.'}, {'start': '174.400', 'end': '179.040', 'text': 'Hotel occupancy rates in Mobile County'}, {'start': '176.640', 'end': '181.360', 'text': 'still lag behind other top destinations.'}, {'start': '179.040', 'end': '183.440', 'text': "Clark says that's because the postcoid"}, {'start': '181.360', 'end': '185.760', 'text': 'recovery has tilted toward high-end'}, {'start': '183.440', 'end': '188.080', 'text': "hotels and Mobile simply doesn't have as"}, {'start': '185.760', 'end': '189.599', 'text': 'many of those. As for the Kurs, they'}, {'start': '188.080', 'end': '192.159', 'text': 'tell me that with Alabama out of the'}, {'start': '189.599', 'end': '194.319', 'text': "way, they've now been to all 48 states"}, {'start': '192.159', 'end': '196.959', 'text': "in the continental US. Now they've just"}, {'start': '194.319', 'end': '198.560', 'text': 'got Alaska and Hawaii to go. Reporting'}, {'start': '196.959', 'end': '201.200', 'text': 'live in the news center, Brendan Kirby,'}, {'start': '198.560', 'end': '201.200', 'text': 'Fox 10 News.'}]