Skip to main content

Turner College's Blair and Mansour Produce Economic Study for VisitColumbusGA

Expertise in the Butler Center for Research & Economic Development has confirmed what many in the Chattahoochee Valley already know—tourism in Columbus is big business. The Center’s annual study, conducted on VisitColumbusGA’s behalf, reveals visitors’ crucial role in driving local spending, job creation and tax revenue. “Thanks to [study author] Ben Blair and the staff at [Columbus State University’s] Butler Center [for Research & Economic Development], their annual impact analysis allows VisitColumbusGA to not only track specific travel and tourism numbers, but to report on the impact tourism has on Columbus,” stated Peter Bowden, president/CEO of VisitColumbusGA. “These are new dollars to the community, advancing the quality of life for the community.” Columbus State is a significant contributor to regional tourism and quality of life. Its 300-plus year-round arts and culture programs, educational and outreach centers, events featuring its 13 NCAA Division II sports teams, and other university activities undergird the community’s tourism sector. In addition, more than half of its student body hail from outside the area, bringing with them their families for visits and a heightened interest in the area. Facilities on the University's main campus and RiverPark campus frequently host events, sporting competitions, meetings and conferences attracting out-of-town visitors of all ages to the community. The university often partners with VisitColumbusGA and other groups to attract groups and conferences, as well as entertain them and area residents year-round. The Butler Center’s study shows that in FY24 2.07 million visitors traveled to Columbus for business and conferences, conventions, meetings, local attractions or visiting family and friends. Those visitors spent more than $377 million. Visitors generated more than $26 million in city lodging and sales tax revenues.
The tourism sector encompasses 4,491 hospitality jobs with a $151 million-plus payroll. Tourism generated $20 million in visitor-related county and state tax revenue to provide citizens with public services. If it were not for visitor spending, each Columbus household would have to pay an additional $639 in taxes to maintain those same level of services. A $21.75 return on each dollar VisitColumbusGA spends to market the city. “Our ongoing partnership with VisitColumbusGA is one of many examples of how the Butler Center promotes sustainable economic growth in the region, informs public policy and guides business decision-making,” said Fady Mansour, the Center’s director, who is also the Sarah T. Butler Distinguished University Chair of Business & Finance and an associate professor in the Department of Accounting & Finance. “I appreciate Dr. Blair’s thought leadership in this area and VisitColumbusGA’s trust in the Butler Center’s expertise.” The Butler Center for Research & Economic Development, based in the University’s D. Abbott Turner College of Business & Technology, serves clients ranging from nonprofit organizations and local governments to businesses and chambers of commerce. Mansor and his team collect and analyze economic data to understand local trends, then share their findings to inform local and regional decision-making. Resources like the Center’s Columbus Economic Outlook 2024 and other research endeavors have helped recruit and retain business and industry—such as Diamond Baseball Holdings' January 2024 decision to relocate its Double-A Atlanta Braves affiliate team from Mississippi to Columbus.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Seven Turner College Management and Marketing Faculty Have Combined to Produce Eight A-Level Journal Publications Between 2021 and the Present

A number of faculty in the Turner College's Department of Management and Marketing, which includes faculty in management information systems, have produced A-level journal publications in the last few years. This report covers that activity, starting with John Finley , the chairperson of the department. Professor Finley published a paper in the Journal of Computer Information Systems in 2022.      Finley is joined by Kirk Heriot , the Crowley Distinguished Chair in Entrepreneurship. Heriot, who earned a PhD in management from Clemson University, published in a 2021 issue of Small Business Economics . One of the study's co-authors, Andres Jauregui of Fresno State University, was previously a member of the Turner College's economics faculty.      Next is Johnny Ho , a professor of management, who has a 2022 publication in the Journal of Computer Information Systems . Ho has won CSU's Excellence in Research Award on multiple occasions, while he has compiled 2...
Post a Comment
Read more

TSYS School, Jianhua Yang, Lixin Wang Each among Top Five in the World

New research by computer scientists in the School of Information Technology at Universiti Utara Malaysia that ranks institutions and individuals on the basis of scholarship in the area of stepping-stone attacks heaps praise on the Turner College’s TSYS School of Computer Science and two of its faculty – Jianhua Yang and Lixin Wang .   The article, published in the April 2023 issue of the International Journal of Research in Engineering and Science , provides a bibliometric analysis of both publication and citation data from 2000 to September of 2022 related to research on stepping-stone intrusion.   Among several results, it reports that Columbus State University ranks second worldwide, trailing only the University of Houston, using total publications on the subject as the basis of comparison.   A number of other U.S. institutions appear in the top 10, including third-ranked North Carolina State University, fourth-ranked University of Illinois, sixth-ranked Iowa State U...
Post a Comment
Read more

New Butler Center Report Identifies Employment Gaps in the Columbus Area

Officials in the Turner College's Butler Center for Research and Economic Development recently put the finishing touches on an extensive report on trends in educational programs and occupations in the Columbus area. The report also includes data on business and technology trends.  According to Fady Mansour , Director of the Butler Center, there are several key takeaways from the report regarding 10 occupational gaps that currently exist in the Columbus area. First,  software development occupation exhibits the biggest labor shortage, with the report adding that the TSYS School has a bachelor's degree program in information technology along with a new AI track for the bachelor's degree in computer science, both of which can qualify students for this occupation. Other educational programs are in demand, such as computer programming and cloud computing. Second, there is a gap of 30 employees per year in general and operations management. This gap could be addressed by the Turn...
Post a Comment
Read more