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The Heartland Awaits: How the Region’s Tourism Industry is Thriving

March 17, 2025

Exploring the Numbers

In the post-pandemic world, travel and tourism have become intensely popular. States across the heartland, from Texas to Michigan, have seen the number of visitors and the money they spend increase notably in the last three years. In 2024 alone, Bentonville, AR surpassed $4 million in tourism-generated tax revenue for the first time, reflecting a 13% increase from the previous year. The town also generated an economic impact of $41 million from over 310 local events, as reported by Visit Bentonville. Travel and tourism are a true economic engine and many heartland states are finding new ways to capitalize on travel. 

“[Tourism] has been a primary determinant of economic growth in the post-COVID-19 era across the U.S.,” Most Dynamic Micropolitans 2024

Heartland Forward releases two reports—Most Dynamic Metropolitans (urban areas of 50,000 or more) and Most Dynamic Micropolitans (towns and outlying areas of 10,000-50,000 residents)—which analyze and rank the most economically vibrant American communities by evaluating particular growth indicators and comparing trends across the country -showcasing the top performers and highlighting the strategies or “secret sauce” they leverage to set themselves apart. 

What Did We Find?

In the reports’ most recent editions, each identified investments in tourism as a common trend among high-performing metro- and micropolitan areas. In 2024, Texas’ “twin cities” of College Station and Bryan (classified in the Most Dynamic Metropolitan report as a single Metropolitan “College Station-Bryan, Texas”) were ranked inside the top 25 two years in a row and offer a glimpse into innovative strategies for capitalizing on a strong tourism industry. 

Texas A&M University’s Influence on Tourism

Texas A&M has a sizable influence on the economies of College Station and Bryan. The university, whose 5,200-acre campus makes up roughly one-sixth of the city’s total area, employs over 40% of the city’s population. While the cities benefit from the traditional economic boost of being college towns through access to a young and skilled workforce and cutting-edge research, the cities experience a significant additional boost due to the tourism draw of the university and its related events. 

Investing in Business is Good for Business 

College Station and Bryan benefit from more than just access to Texas A&M. Both cities boast growing private sectors and have begun to serve as state, regional, and even national hubs for business conferences—drawing in additional economic activity.  

To accommodate this growth, Bryan invested $41 million in the 120,000-square-foot Legends Event Center, which opened in December 2022. Since its opening, the venue has generated millions of dollars in economic impact, hosting sporting events, corporate and religious conferences and community events, ultimately earning the 2024 Champion of Economic Impact Award from the City of Bryan. 

Given the influx of tourists drawn into the area by the university, corporate tourism or events at the Legends Event Center both College Station and Bryan instituted a Hotel Occupancy Tax to further capitalize on the regional tourism boom. The tax is paid by every local hotel guest, and the funds generated are then reinvested into further growing the tourism industry. 

The tax has demonstrated a positive impact on the local economy, and in 2024, Bryan saw a 19.4% increase in generated occupancy tax revenue from the previous year, resulting in a total collection of nearly $3 million. 

“[Revenue from the occupancy tax is] money circulating in our economy that didn’t have to be spent by a local resident, so we’re able to reap those rewards as the residents,” Lina Adams, Destination Bryan

This cycle of investment has worked economic wonders for Texas’ twin cities, as the research gathered for Most Dynamic Metropolitans shows the metropolitan area’s real GDP grew at a rate of 21.9% between 2018 and 2023 and a rate of 7.4% between 2022 and 2023–ranking 38th and 13th of 387 metropolitan areas respectively. With these improvements, more mainstream entertainment is making stops in College Station and Bryan and bringing more consumers with them to patronize local businesses. 

Playing the Game for Long Term Growth

In the first few months of 2025, the heartland hosted two events generating millions of dollars of economic impact for local economies. 

  • The Super Bowl in New Orleans, LA 
  • NFL draft combine in Indianapolis, IN

In the future, heartland cities will use sporting events to draw visitors in from all over the country: 

Molding Strategies to Unique Realities

Most Dynamic Metropolitans and Most Dynamic Micropolitans offer insight into strategic initiatives, like investing in tourism, that cities can leverage to help boost their economies—such as those undertaken by College Station and Bryan, TX in recent years. As Texas’ twin cities pursue these initiatives—leveraging infrastructure, attracting businesses and hosting large-scale events—other heartland cities and towns can take note and apply the strategies to fit their local landscapes. 

While not every metro or micropolitan has a university, each can embrace business-friendly economic policies, encourage outdoor recreation and tourism, host events and invite artists to perform in their towns. For example, Sevierville, TN leveraged its proximity to the Smokey Mountains to invest in the Gateway to Adventure, a “regional destination with attractions, retailers, restaurants and hotels”. This $75 million investment in tourism from Sevierville, a micropolitan of 18,000, earned them the 23rd spot on our Most Dynamic Micropolitans 2024 report and demonstrates the potential for cities of all sizes to leverage tourism for economic dynamism. 

Tourism appears to be an ever-growing industry, and heartland states, with so much history and culture to offer, are taking full advantage.