Numbers: Out in
left field, on base or
just in the ballpark?
Continued from Page 26
with that data then researched, aggregated and analyzed.” Among
those sources are the ATA, the
AH&LA, Meetings & Conventions
magazine and several government
departments. This number, however, includes data that are included
elsewhere, such as in the hotel
category.
Amusement Parks: The 2005
$11.2 billion figure for 2005 is
provided by the International Association of Amusement Parks and
Attractions; it is based on member
surveys.
Restaurants: The National Restaurant Association puts the industry’s revenue total at $511 billion.
More than two-thirds of table-ser-vice restaurant operators reported
that tourists are important to their
business and growing more important the more expensive the restaurant gets. Spending by travelers and
visitors account for roughly 25% of
revenues at family- and casual-din-ing restaurants.
Bed & Breakfast: According to
Pam Horovitz, CEO of the Professional Innkeepers Association
International, her group surveys
members, comes up with figures
for occupancy and rate and extrapolates from that an annual total of
$3.2 billion.
“When it comes to the size of the
industry,” she said, “we are working at a best guesstimate. We have
X number of inns as members, X
number as prospective members
(inns that aren’t members but that
receive mailings); we also call some
online directories. We’re comfortable characterizing that $3.2 billion.
This is not an industry that swings
up and down very much.”
