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Issue
2
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August
7 - August 28, 2000
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Volume
1
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page
4
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Mississippi Gaming Industry Drives Significant Tourism GrowthThe Mississippi Department of Economic and Community Development (MDECD) recently released figures for 1998 concerning the activities and spending patterns of tourists in the state. A significant element to the success and growth of Mississippi tourism is directly attributeable to the gaming industry that began in 1992. According to the study, over 35 percent of overnight visitors were attracted to Mississippi for the casino gaming opportunities. Large percentages of these visitors also spent money on dining, shopping, other entertainment, and sightseeing activities. This diverse spending pattern shows that Mississippi's casinos have extensive economic impacts throughout the economy. The Mississippi Gaming industry is extremely pleased to have been a significant part of the overall growth of tourism in the state. ``By providing a wonderfully diverse entertainment experience, the industry has contributed to the growth of the state's economy by attracting visitors from throughout the United States and the world,'' said Andy Bourland, Executive Director of the Mississippi Gaming Association. The study found that overnight leisure trips increased over 64% and day trips increased over 86% between 1992 and 1998. The state hosted 10 million overnight visitors in 1998. These visitors stayed an average of 3.4 days and spent $87 each day. The direct economic impact of these overnight leisure visitors totaled $2.9 billion. This considerable figure does not include day-trippers and business travelers. The increase in tourism activity in Mississippi has fueled a boom in hotel construction. Since 1992, the number of hotel rooms in the state has more than doubled. Casino hotels provided more than half of the new rooms over this period. Despite this growth, occupancy rates at the casino hotels continue to run above 80 percent statewide. Casino tourism provides tremendous economic benefits to the state. Mississippi casinos have grown to employ almost 40,000 with payrolls approaching $1 billion. Direct tax payments by the casinos to state and local government now total over $310 million annually. These impacts were also highlighted in another recently released MDECD report, "1999 Economic Impact for Tourism and Recreation in Mississippi.'' Although its figures did not include the Silver Star Resort, the report still found that gaming employment represented over 37 percent of total tourism and recreation employment in Mississippi. Tourism is Mississippi's fastest growing export industry. The tourism industry creates thousands of jobs and brings millions of dollars in income and tax revenues into the state. These MDECD reports show that the gaming industry is the catalyst for the growth in this industry.
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