Record Arkansas visits don't lift spending
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: Courtesy of Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism
Arkansas' record 54.3 million visitors in 2025 didn't pay off — they collectively spent $10.2 billion, down 0.9% from 2024.
Why it matters: Though there were 2.3 million more visitors in 2025, they spent less, leaving the industry's statewide economic impact flat at $17.4 billion, according to a new state tourism report.
The latest: The dip is attributed to a decrease in transportation spending. "This may reflect more in‑state travel, where visitors drove shorter distances and spent less on transportation overall," April Kiser, spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism, told Axios.
• "It also aligns with travelers making careful discretionary decisions about where and how they spend."
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the figures Wednesday at Pinnacle Mountain State Park, tying the numbers to her administration's push to grow outdoor recreation and tourism through the Natural State Initiative.
The big picture: Tourism remains one of Arkansas' biggest economic engines, supporting nearly 72,000 jobs and generating almost $27 million in revenue from the 2% tourism tax from May 2025 to April 2026, up slightly from 2024.
By the numbers: Tourism-supported jobs grew by 0.3% to 71,860.
- Visitor spending generated $529 million in state taxes, down 0.3%, and $204 million in local taxes, unchanged from 2024.
- Leisure visitors rose 5.6% to 39.6 million while overnight visitors rose 1.3% to 16.2 million.
- Pulaski County got about 22% of visitors' spending; Benton County got roughly 12%.
What they're saying: "Let me just put this really simply: That's a lot of money. It's a really good thing, and we're really glad they're coming," Sanders said.
State of play: The report says 55% of Arkansas' visitors came from within the state.
- Food and beverage accounted for the largest share of their spending at 30%, followed by transportation at 28%, lodging at 17%, entertainment and recreation at 14%, and retail at 12%.
Context: Sanders tied the tourism push to the Natural State Initiative, which includes development zones near four state parks, mountain-bike projects in Bella Vista and Mena, and a plan to designate Blanchard Springs Caverns as a state park.
What we're watching: Whether the state can turn rising visitor counts into higher spending, longer stays and more overnight trips.
- The tourism department says one goal is to grow annual tourism tax collections to $50 million by 2033.
Editor's note: This story was updated to include a statement from the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism.