We’re No. 2! Second in tourism good place among Alabama counties

HUNTSVILLE – Madison County assumed a place among its Alabama colleagues where it’ll likely be found for the foreseeable future. 

But, while second isn’t always a place to be highly celebrated, for the Huntsville-Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau second is a prime position regarding guests traveling to the Heart of Dixie.

That’s the reality, even though numbers released Thursday by the Alabama Tourism Department show a hefty increase and record-setting numbers once again related to the amount of people coming to the Rocket City.

Baldwin County, where vacationers flood to the likes of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach with their white sand and other attractions, has a firm grip on No. 1. However, Madison County residents are reaping the benefits of being No. 2.

“The telling thing for the citizens here, every household in Madison County saved more than $1,300 in additional taxes by what the visitors spent last year,’’ Charles Winters, executive vice president – marketing for the CVB, told 256 Today. “If we had not had any visitors, everybody would have had to pay, every household would have had to pay more than $100 more every single month just to offset what visitors bring into the economy.

“It’s noteworthy to say that we had 2.8 million of our (state’s) nearly 4 million visitors who stayed overnight in hotels.”

Huntsville has long been known as home to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. But now, there are added destinations and the Von Braun Center in downtown Huntsville continues to grow its music and convention scene.

“There are so many more things to do and see while you’re here like the Orion Amphitheater,” Winters said. “There’s so many shows and activities at the same time at the Von Braun Center, and you know they’re celebrating their 50th anniversary. There are so many events and so many performers in the Mars Music Hall and Propst Arena.

“So, you know, I think we’re seeing people probably spending more when they’re here in addition to there being more people coming. The combination really made for a huge year in 2023 with the state touting a total of $23.5 billion, and more than 10% of the state’s total came from Madison County.”

The annual 2023 Alabama Tourism Impact Report reveals Madison County continues to be among the leading counties in the state with growth across all measurable data.

Takeaways for Madison County from the 2023 report:

• Travel-related expenditures in Madison County grew by 15% with more than $2.4 billion in revenue, setting a record.
• 3,974,596 visitors (estimated) to Madison County in 2023.
• This record increase spurred growth in the travel-related employment sector in Madison County, 5.7% higher than in 2022 with 23,355 jobs.
• 2.8 million visitors stayed overnight in hotels in Madison County – more than any other county.
• Madison County maintains its ranking at No. 2 in the “Most Visited Counties in Alabama” list:
  1. Baldwin County
  2. Madison County
  3. Mobile
  4. Jefferson
  5. Montgomery