Rhode Island
Rhode Island drew record number of visitors in 2023 • Rhode Island Current
The silver lining of inflation: Rhode Island’s tourism economy benefited from $5.6 billion in visitor spending in 2023, according to new research by a state commissioned consultant.
A presentation by international firm Tourism Economics for Rhode Island Commerce Corporation showed visitor spending grew more than twice as fast as the increase in the number of visitors in 2023. The 28.4 million people who traveled to the Ocean State in 2023 is 2.2% higher than the prior year, but their total spending on travel, food, lodging and entertainment grew 4.6% year-over-year.
That’s driven by demand growth as well as price hikes for commodities and services, according to the research.
More than one-quarter of the direct spending, 26%, stemmed from food and beverage sales. Lodging, including hotels, second houses and short-term rentals, was the second-highest expense, contributing $1.2 billion.
Air transportation saw the biggest annual increase, up 10.2%, to $328 million in 2023. Rhode Island Airport Corporation, the quasi-public entity that manages the state’s airports, gets a share of revenue from passengers on flights, as well as fees for the airlines to land, use hangar space, and other related services.
In March 2023, Breeze Airways opened a permanent base at Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport, with plans to invest $160 million and hire up to 250 employees over the next five years. Commerce awarded the Utah-based airline $2.9 million in tax credits tied to the job creation plans.
Commerce has also experimented with various destination marketing ploys, from giant, traveling stuffed quahogs to the $2.2 million “All That” ad campaign rolled out in February of this year.
“The economic activity generated from the travel sector represents a critical component of the state’s current and future growth,” Anika Kimble-Huntley, Commerce’s chief marketing officer, said in a statement. “The Commerce team will continue to work with our great partners, statewide, to support the upward trajectory of tourism and record-breaking visitation.”
Visitor count and direct spending in 2023 broke prior state records, exceeding pre-pandemic numbers. However, the number of jobs tied to the state’s tourism economy remains slightly below its 2019 peak.
The 38,329 jobs directly tied to the tourism economy in 2023 remains about 1,000 jobs, or 2.5%, below 2019 levels. Including jobs that indirectly benefited from tourism, 2023 activity helped to sustain 86,612 jobs, while generating $935 million in state and local tax revenues, according to the research.
“Tourism plays a vital role in Rhode Island’s economy by creating jobs, supporting our local businesses, and showcasing everything that makes our state a premier destination,” Commerce Secretary Liz Tanner said in a statement. “I applaud the dedicated efforts of the tourism team at Rhode Island Commerce and all others in the industry that helped reach this accomplishment.”
Including direct spending, jobs and tax revenue, the visitor economy totaled $8.3 billion in 2023, a 4.5% increase over the prior year.
The research reflects federal labor and jobs statistics, state and local tax revenues, short-term rental information and information from market research group Longwoods International.
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Rhode Island
As Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut dig out of major snowstorm, light snow continues with abnormally cold temps ahead with new potential storm looming
Southern New England hasn’t even finished digging out of over a foot of snow that dropped Sunday into Monday without talks of a significant storm possible in the coming days.
According to the National Weather Service, periods of light to moderate snow continue behind
low pressure as it pulls offshore Monday.
The surface low is well into the north Atlantic by noon today and the expected dry slot has moved overhead shutting off efficient snow making. So, while lingering wrap around moisture will continue to produce light snow across the region today, lack of moisture and the strong forcing that we saw on Sunday will mean much less in the way of additional snowfall today. Overall, expecting 1-2 inches in inland Southern New England with 2-5 inches more likely as you get closer to the extreme eastern and northeastern MA coastline. This is where NE wind
trajectory off the water together with convergence ahead of a front late in the day will lead to a pickup in snow coverage by the afternoon/evening.
After Monday, abnormally cold and mostly dry air enters with yet another storm possible off the coast next weekend.
Quiet weather then follows our active start to the week as dry, abnormally cold NW flow lingers overhead most of the week. Temperatures remain well below normal each day. Normal
highs/lows for late January are in the mid 30s and low 20s respectively; we are forecasting highs in the teens and 20s with lows in the single digits thanks to an anomalously cold airmass
overhead. A few shortwaves rounding the broader trough could bring some flurries off and on but on the whole, things look dry. The National Weather Service continues to monitor a potential storm off the coast toward next weekend. Can we make it 3 Sunday coastal storms in a row? We`ll see!
Rhode Island Rams (12-8, 3-4 A-10) at Dayton Flyers (14-6, 5-2 A-10)
Dayton, Ohio; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Rhode Island plays Dayton after Jahmere Tripp scored 23 points in Rhode Island’s 74-65 win against the George Mason Patriots.
The Flyers have gone 10-1 at home. Dayton is fifth in the A-10 in team defense, giving up 68.7 points while holding opponents to 42.7% shooting.
The Rams have gone 3-4 against A-10 opponents. Rhode Island averages 72.2 points while outscoring opponents by 5.3 points per game.
Dayton is shooting 44.9% from the field this season, 1.5 percentage points higher than the 43.4% Rhode Island allows to opponents. Rhode Island has shot at a 45.6% clip from the field this season, 2.9 percentage points higher than the 42.7% shooting opponents of Dayton have averaged.
The matchup Tuesday is the first meeting of the season between the two teams in conference play.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jordan Derkack is averaging 8.1 points and 3.1 assists for the Flyers. Javon Bennett is averaging 16.9 points and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 34.0% over the last 10 games.
Jonah Hinton is scoring 14.1 points per game with 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists for the Rams. Tyler Cochran is averaging 11.9 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 41.7% over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Flyers: 7-3, averaging 74.1 points, 31.1 rebounds, 13.8 assists, 9.6 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 43.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 65.4 points per game.
Rams: 5-5, averaging 67.8 points, 29.1 rebounds, 10.2 assists, 7.2 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 43.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 65.1 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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