Rhode Island Tourism Industry

Visitor spending in 2022 totaled $5.3 billion, 17% higher than in 2021. The increase reflects $758 million in additional spending in the local economy.
Stronger demand was reflected by a 5% increase in total Rhode Island visitor volume to 27.7 million in 2022.
Including all traveler-related expenditures, the Rhode Island traveler economy registered $7.9 billion in 2022. All spending categories, except air travel, have recovered past pre-pandemic levels.
Visitor activity sustained a total of 84,386 jobs in 2022, including 57,523 direct jobs and 26,862 jobs supported through indirect and induced impacts. This total impact equates to one-in-eight jobs in Rhode Island.
Visitor spending, visitor-supported jobs, and business sales generated $1.9 billion in government revenues. State and local taxes alone tallied $903 million in 2022, compared to $981 million from federal taxes.
Each household in Rhode Island would need to be taxed an additional $2,120 to replace the visitor-generated taxes received by Rhode Island state and local governments in 2022.
Total traveler economy employment supported significant shares of several industries in 2022 – all of lodging, 95% of recreation, 63% of food and beverage employment, and 13% of retail employment.