Cleveland tourism continued to boom in 2023
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David Gilbert digging into 2023 tourism numbers. Photo: Sam Allard/Axios
Cleveland hosted 29% more conventions and meetings in 2023 than it did in 2022, continuing an upward trend in business and personal travel since the pandemic gutted the hospitality industry in 2020.
Driving the news: Destination Cleveland, the local convention and visitor bureau, held its annual meeting Tuesday to tout its 2023 accomplishments and tease a summer of marquee events.
Why it matters: The organization's mission under president and CEO David Gilbert has focused not only on the visitor experience, but the long-term perception of the city by local residents.
- The work has borne fruit. Gilbert said that as of 2022, roughly 80% of locals would recommend Cleveland as a place to visit, up from 34% in 2012.
By the numbers: Downtown Cleveland saw a 9.2% increase in visitor activity between March 2023 and February 2024, per University of Toronto data.
- Based on Destination Cleveland surveys, 77% of visitors in 2023 were either "very satisfied" or "satisfied" with their overall Cleveland experience.
Yes, but: Only 40% of visitors agreed that the visitor experience was inclusive, well below a modest 60% goal.
Between the lines: Ongoing renovations at Huntington Convention Center, with a ribbon cutting planned for July, have facilitated booking future conferences that Gilbert said wouldn't have been possible but for the expanded meeting space.
The latest: Destination Cleveland just inked a contract with the National Urban League to host its 2025 convention of nearly 4,000 attendees in Cleveland.
What's next: Cleveland has a lively summer ahead, with major concerts including the Rolling Stones this weekend; international competitions like the Pan-American Masters Games in July; WWE's SummerSlam in August; and a slew of big conventions.
What we're watching: The last of six neighborhood murals in the "Murals Across the City" project will be installed in Lee-Harvard in the coming weeks, part of Destination Cleveland's efforts to enhance the visitor experience while showing off community assets.