Visitors from out of state linger a little longer in Columbus than elsewhere in the state, according to a recent study Visit Mississippi commissioned.
Between July 1 and Aug. 18, out-of-state visitors to The Friendly City stayed an average of 10 hours, placing Columbus an hour ahead of second-place Hattiesburg. The ranking came as a welcome surprise to Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Nancy Carpenter, who presented the study results Tuesday at a tourism partners meeting.
“These figures are fascinating to us and to Visit Mississippi,” Carpenter said. “They visited all over the state but stayed longer in Columbus than anywhere else. Maybe we just have more to offer.”
The study showed out-of-state visitors stayed in Starkville an average of eight hours, nine minutes during that time frame.
Visit Mississippi conducted the study through Arrivalist, a third-party GPS tracking platform, and Maris West and Baker, an advertising firm in Jackson.
Maris West And Baker President Tim Mask said the platform tracked out-of-state visitors to gauge where people are visiting in the state, so he and his team analyzed that data to determine how effective advertising and tourism are in certain cities.
“It’s to provide a level of accountability to the advertising, so you’re not just going out and spending money and not knowing if you’re doing good or not,” Mask said.
Carpenter said people are coming to Columbus for several reasons. This summer in particular drew thousands of visitors from all over to celebrate Independence Day at Fireworks on the Water on the Columbus Lock and Dam, an event co-sponsored by Columbus Air Force Base. Beyond that, attractions like the downtown Riverwalk and the city’s historic homes bring in summer visitors, she said.
“The longer they stay, the longer they either shop or eat here,” Carpenter said. “It means an economic boost to our little town of 23,000 (people). I think it’s really significant.”
Carpenter noted the boost in tourism was reflected in the city’s monthly 2-percent restaurant sales tax collections. The city collected more than $2 million in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.
Columbus Marina Manager Steven Arndt told The Dispatch tourism at the marina could be credited as part of the top ranking. He said that while the summer tends to be the slower months, he sees about two or three boats dock there a day in July and August.
“I would say that 85 and 90 percent of the boats that are doing it spend at least one night in Columbus,” Arndt said.
Columbus Parks and Recreation Director Greg Lewis said July was an excellent month for tourism from out of state. He noted the Southside Blues Festival in July at Townsend Park, for example, had a great turnout.
“People came all the way from Georgia for that; anywhere between 5,000 and 10,000 people show up for those types of events,” Lewis said.
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