Around 29 million tourists vacationed at Alabama beaches, hotels, state parks and campgrounds in 2024, setting records for the fourth year in a row.

Spending has increased by almost $1 billion each year for four of the past five years, putting the new record at $23.9 billion spent in a single year, according to the 2024 Alabama Tourism Economic Report.

The five counties of Baldwin, Jefferson, Madison, Mobile and Montgomery attracted the largest numbers of travelers. More specifically, 72% of travelers chose one of the top five counties as their destination.

Baldwin County welcomed 8.39 million visitors in 2024, compared to 8.38 million in 2023, according to Smith Travel Research for the state. The next closest county, Jefferson, saw 3.4 million visitors. Baldwin's tourist numbers were more than all counties other than Jefferson, Mobile, Madison and Montgomery
combined.

Last year, 2.1 million travelers stayed in hotels and motels with an average occupancy rate of 62.5% at an average of $164 a night, the highest occupancy rate and price per night in the state.

The Gulf Coast Region accounted for 40.6% of the total expenditures in the state, according to the report. It also accounted for 43.4% of travel-related earnings and 35.4% of travel-related employment, all around the highest rates of the fourth regions in the state.

The tourism industry helped support 248,590 jobs in the past year, Gov. Kay Ivey said. For every $140,726 of spending in the travel industry, one new direct job is created. Economists estimate that for every two direct jobs created, the Alabama economy indirectly creates one additional job.

Baldwin County, while topping the state in visitors and spending, did not see the highest rate of growth in travel-related employment, only marking 0.3% from 2023 to 2024. Jefferson County, for example and to compare to another major county, saw 1.5% growth in direct travel-related employment. Mobile saw 4.3%.
When considering direct and indirect travel-related employment, Baldwin decreased by 1.2%. Jefferson grew by 1.5%, and Mobile by 4.3%.

The hospitality industry was responsible for generating $4.4 billion in direct earnings with the total impact earnings exceeding $7.9 billion. The state's eating and drinking establishments accounted for more than half of the jobs in 2024. The food industry created 53% of the positions, with overnight accommodations providing 2%, an annual study from the state tourism department revealed. Entertainment provided 12% of jobs, and general retail contributed an additional 7%.

The amount spent in the state has climbed for 13 of the past 14 years, only falling in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. A decade ago, tourists spent $11 billion in one year, less than half the amount spent in 2024, State Tourism Director Lee Sentell said.

The travel industry directly benefits the state's total economy, tourism officials said. State law mandates that three-quarters of the 4% State Lodging Tax goes directly into Alabama's General Fund that the Alabama Legislature provides for services to all state residents. In 2024, about $88 million was generated by tourists which benefited all residents of the state, officials said.

Baldwin County shows the most seasonality in travel and tourism activities. Almost three-quarters (68%) of all 2024 lodging taxes were collected in the second and third quarters. The first and fourth quarters had 18% and 13% shares, respectively, of taxes collected.