HUGHESVILLE, MD – The Board of Directors and executive director of the Southern Maryland Heritage Area (also known as Destination Southern Maryland) are pleased to announce the results of the impact study commissioned by the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority (MHAA), the governing body of the Maryland Heritage Areas Program. The study released today estimates the contribution of Destination Southern Maryland to the statewide economy to be $187 million and 2,367 jobs.
“The impact of $187 million is a remarkable achievement and a significant return on investment. At Destination Southern Maryland, our top priority is the development and celebration of heritage tourism, of what makes this region unique,” said Lucille Walker, executive director. “Yet it is important to note that this heritage area also plays a vital role in both the state and the regional economies.”
The study was conducted by Parker Philips, Inc. a nationally recognized consulting firm specializing in economic impact analysis. “An economic contribution analysis is an objective way to measure the significance of an organization in the regional economy; it is a tool that policy makers can use to inform their decisions about how to allocate funding and make smart investment decisions,” said Nichole Parker, Co-Founder and Principal Partner at Parker Philips. “Clearly, Destination Southern Maryland is a major contributor to the regional economy and raises the profile and value of heritage tourism.”
In the analysis, the study considered the direct spending on operations, pay, benefits, grants and heritage tourists by Destination Southern Maryland and the estimated increase in demand for goods and services in industry sectors that supply or support the heritage tourism in Southern Maryland.
According to the study, a key result of the program and heritage tourism is that Destination Southern Maryland supports and sustains 2,637 jobs including direct employment by the heritage area, as well as indirect and induced jobs created by supply and equipment vendors, jobs created in the community at hotels, restaurants, and retail stores in support of the heritage area operations, grantmaking and heritage tourists.
The study also calculated tax revenues generated by this level of economic activity, including sales, property, personal income and corporate income taxes. The study concluded that Destination Southern Maryland generates approximately $25.3 million in tax revenues for state and local government.
Statewide, the Maryland Heritage Areas Program, including all 13 certified Heritage Areas, heritage tourists, grantmaking and program spending had a total statewide economic contribution of $2.4 billion. This activity generated an estimated 33,815 jobs in the state. It is estimated that nearly 20.7 million tourists in the state are heritage tourists.
The economic impact report for Destination Southern Maryland is available here. Read the statewide heritage area report here. For more information about the Southern Maryland Heritage Area, visit destinationsouthernmaryland.com.
