A study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s National Chamber Foundation ranks Rhode Island seventh for adding travel and tourism jobs between 1999 and 2003, with the state witnessing an employment increase of 2 percent.
According to “Impact of Travel and Tourism on the U.S. and State Economies” – published by the U.S. Chamber and Travel Industry Association of America – travel and tourism payrolls in Rhode Island increased by 13.2 percent overall in the same period, placing it fourth in the nation.
Wyoming, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, Alaska, Delaware and Maryland were the only states to add more jobs during that period. Only Wyoming, Alaska and Utah saw a greater payroll expansion, according to the report.
The state’s Director of Tourism David C. DePetrillo said the state’s studies conducted by the University of Rhode Island have shown that tourism has been a steadily growing industry here since around 1983.
While the state uses different measures than the U.S. Chamber to gauge its progress in the field, DePetrillo said many factors show Rhode Island’s industries are moving in a positive direction. In 2004, he said, Rhode Island posted the highest hotel occupancy rate in New England.
DePetrillo also said the state is presently in an “historic” period for hotel construction, with an increased interest in building facilities in areas outside of Providence.
“All of this, I think, shows that the impact is really one that is longer term,” DePetrillo said. “It’s really changing the economic structure of the state by making travel and tourism a fast-growing sector.”
While the U.S. Chamber’s study states that 2004 was the first time travel and tourism industries have managed to add jobs since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, DePetrillo said those statistics generally refer to national trends.
Rhode Island, along with other smaller destinations, maintained a steady level of tourism business afterward, he said. Large locations, such as Las Vegas and New York, were hit harder by the attacks.
“I think a lot of the growth nationally is from those areas that have come back from Sept. 11,” DePetrillo said.
In recent years, he said, the state’s business travel has had a downturn, but leisure and other forms of travel have steadily grown.
Dale J. Venturini, president of the R.I. Hospitality and Tourism Association, said she has witnessed expansion in the state’s restaurant industry recently that has matched predicted growth.
Venturini pointed to several factors for the increased traffic at restaurants, including aging baby boomers with more disposable money and time constraints creating a greater need to dine out.
“It really is just a necessity more than anything,” she said.
The National Restaurant Association projects Rhode Island will generate $1.8 billion in restaurant sales in 2005 and says the restaurant and food service industry represents 10.1 percent of total employment in the state.
