Arkansas visitors generate $17.4 billion economically in 2024

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A report released from the Arkansas Department of Parks Heritage and Tourism says that state visitors generated $17.4 billion in 2024.

According to state officials, Arkansas saw 52 million visitors last year, marking a 2.6% increase since 2023.

Officials said data from the report shows that visitors spent $10.3 billion and the remaining $7.1 billion stemmed from supply chain and income effects.

Data shows a daily influx of $28.2 million in visitor spending, which supports more than 70,000 direct jobs, state officials said.

Arkansas tourism officials said food and beverage led all spending categories bringing in $3 billion, a 6.5% increase. Retail, recreation, lodging and transportation also saw increases, officials said.

State officials said expanding outdoor recreation helped with the growth in visitor spending.

“Arkansas’ outdoor recreation economy is a powerful driver of economic growth, generating billions in consumer spending annually while supporting thousands of jobs across rural and urban communities across the state.

In 2024, state officials said Arkansas added more than 2,300 outdoor jobs, bringing the total to 32,839.