Oklahoma Brings In Record Tourism Numbers In 2022

Governor Stitt said that Oklahoma tourism brought in billions of dollars, millions in tax revenue, and thousands of jobs in 2022.

“Oklahoma is becoming the place to be,” said Governor Kevin Stitt.

Governor Kevin Stitt touts Oklahoma tourism and has the data to back it up. “We had over 18 million visitors to the state of Oklahoma which is 4.5 visitors per residence,” said Stitt in a press conference Tuesday.

Stitt says that's more visitors per capita than both Texas and Kansas. “Tourism brings in more out-of-state dollars than any other industry other than oil and gas,” said Shelley Zumwalt, the Executive Director of Oklahoma Tourism.

Zumwalt says Oklahoma broke tourism records in 2021 coming out of the pandemic, but she says the state shattered those records in 2022. “Tourism is Oklahoma's unseen economic powerhouse. Right there in the background serving an audience of international, out-of-state, and in-state travelers every single day of the year,” said Zumwalt.

In 2022, the tourism industry contributed $11.8 billion to the state in direct visitor spending, generated $833 million in tax revenue, and supported more than 100,000 jobs. According to the state’s Department of Tourism, travel spending increased to a record-breaking $11.8 billion, a 12.3 percent increase from the previous record of $10.5 billion set in 2021. 

Zumwalt says 18.3 million visitors traveled to Oklahoma in 2022, a 3.3 percent increase over the previous year. “Today we are reporting the largest year-over-year percentage increase in travel spending in nearly a decade and a 60 to 1 return on investment on every dollar spent promoting our state,” said Zumwalt.

Zumwalt says a large part of the success was aggressive marketing campaigns and investments in state parks. “We're just getting started,” said Zumwalt.

Stitt is hoping to incentivize some of these visitors to plant permanent roots in the state. “I'm trying to take Oklahoma to the world and bring the world back to Oklahoma,” said Stitt. “I always say Oklahoma is the best state in the country to start a business.” 

Both Stitt and Zumwalt are hoping to build on this momentum and success.

“I can confidently say Oklahoma has an opportunity to succeed right now - like never before,” said Zumwalt.

Zumwalt says to succeed, Oklahoma needs tourism. “State tourism has more momentum than ever before and as a state, I'm excited to see him seize this moment and show the world an Oklahoma that is ready for the spotlight,” said Zumwalt.