Last year, tourism brought in $3.8 billion, or $1 billion, giving Alabama’s Black Belt economy a “b” rating. This means he increased by $1.9 billion between 2020 and 2023, the last full-year numbers available. Even more significant is that tourist revenue has created approximately 45,500 jobs across the region.
This increase is notable considering the fact that 2020 was the height of the pandemic and travel was significantly reduced.
According to the report, West Alabama accounts for 31% of tourism spending and 28% of all jobs created. Much of that revenue is tied to University of Alabama sports, but even more comes from tourism.
Just as businesses, hotels, bars, and restaurants make money, government bank accounts make money through taxes. $219 million worth of state and local taxes are generated by tourists, and one of the biggest beneficiaries is the state Education Trust Fund, which has raised $70 million for schools.
In West Alabama alone, annual tourism receipts increased from $562,414,519 in 2020 to $1.15 billion last year. Tuscaloosa County brought in the lion’s share, or should I say elephant’s share, of the revenue: $999,591,345.
The Black Belt extends from Tuscaloosa, Pickens, Greene, Hale, Sumter, Marengo, Perry, and Choctaw counties in western Alabama to Lee, Russell, and Barbour counties in the east. Although it takes its name from its rich soil, the majority of the population is African American.
In the 1800s, Black Belt became an economic powerhouse thanks to the sweat and labor of slaves working on some of the state’s grandest plantations. After the South lost the Civil War, the region fell into poverty during Reconstruction and the Great Depression. When Jim Crow laws were eventually repealed, the area saw an exodus of white people. The decline continued as young black people began moving away after high school in search of better opportunities.
With the exception of Tuscaloosa and Montgomery counties, much of the 23-county Black Belt region has little industry, and the more rural counties have a shrinking population base. Therefore, tourist spending takes a huge economic hit.
The region derives its revenue from college football. But some of the most important sites in the fight for civil rights and voting rights were along the Civil Rights Trail, which draws tourists to Tuscaloosa, Perry, Dallas, Lowndes, and Montgomery counties. The number of people who flock to this trail is increasing every year.
And Selma hosts its annual “Jubilee,” when thousands gather for a reenactment of the infamous “Bloody Sunday” voting rights march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge that led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Just down the road in Wilcox County, the world-famous and spectacular Gee’s Bend Quilters draws thousands of people to communities along the Alabama River each year.
The study also reveals that it is the “great outdoors” through hunting and fishing that generates huge amounts of tourist income. $1.7 billion was generated through taxidermy services, weapons, boat rentals, fuel, ammunition and clothing, fishing gear, lodging, meals, souvenirs, equipment and accessories.
White-tailed deer, ducks, and wild pigs. Quail, squirrels, and turkeys attract hunters from all over the world. Fishing on Lake Eufaula, the “Bass Capital of the World,” Millers Ferry Reservoir on the Alabama River in Wilcox County, and West Alabama’s Black Warrior River draws thousands of tourists each year. This includes a large number of bird watchers.
A study conducted for Alabama Black Belt Adventures, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting outdoor recreation and tourism opportunities in the region, found that “the Black Belt’s natural environment is a major draw for people who love the great outdoors. Masu. “
Hunting and fishing clubs and camps dot the area, and there’s even a statue of an English Pointer in Union Springs, the “field testing capital of the world.” Since 1921, the town has welcomed hundreds of visitors to the National Amateur Free-for-All Championship in Field Trials held each February.
So the next time you see an out-of-state or county tag, extend a welcoming hand. They are helping our economy.
