GALLIPOLIS — The Gallia County Convention and Visitors Bureau recently released data detailing the economic impact of tourism in Gallia County for 2011 — an impact of $55.2 million in generated funds.

This information is a result of an integrated consumer-based research study organized by the Ohio Department of Development’s Office of Tourism and conducted by Longwoods International and Tourism Economics. Gallia County is one of 61 county/city convention and visitors bureaus, cities and economic development boards that took part in the study.

“Visitor spending and employment figures are essential factors to consider when evaluating the importance of travel and tourism to Gallia County’s economy,” Bob Hood, executive director of the CVB said. “We also must consider the indirect benefits that result from this important industry. By shaping the quality of our lives, leisure destinations play an important role in shaping our climate for business.”

According to the report, Gallia County’s tourism industry contributed more than $7.2 million dollars in local taxes; generated $55.2 million in sales for local businesses; and sustained more than 679 local jobs in 2011. For the state of Ohio:

• Tourism contributed more than $2.7 billion in combined state and local taxes;

• Visitor spending of $26.3 billion generated $40 billion in sales for Ohio businesses;

• More than 443,000 jobs were sustained by visitors to Ohio in 2011 with total income of$10.5 billion;

• Overnight leisure trips grew three percent in 2011 over 2010.

The research model, which has a sample size of 200,000 consumers, provides detailed information on the Ohio tourism industry, including economic impact, visitor profile, image, advertising awareness/effectiveness and return on investment.

“This model helps us measure the importance of tourism to the state’s economy, while capturing critical visitor profile information that will assist the office with its marketing efforts,” said State Assistant Tourism Director Pat Barker.

The Office of Tourism is housed within the Ohio Department of Development. The mission of the Office is to enhance the economic health of Ohio through marketing the state’s unique travel and tourism brand and quality of life attributes.