Tippecanoe County tourist spending edges up

More and more visitors tee off at area courses as word spreads about the stay and play packages offered by Greater Lafayette hotels, Coyote Crossing Golf Course general manager Shane Weist said.

“It is has grown substantially since ... I first served on the stay and play committee in 2002,” he said. “We go to trade shows to promote it.

“At Coyote, we see an average of 700 rounds per year for stay and play.”

Tourists in 2013 spent $309 million in Tippecanoe County, an increase of 2.3 percent from 2012, according to the latest data from the Indiana Office of Tourism Development.

Food and beverage sales accounted for 36 percent ($111 million) of visitor purchases and retail sales accounted for 27 percent ($84.6 million) of tourism dollars spent in Tippecanoe County.

The largest year-to-year increase was in recreation and entertainment spending, which grew by 9 percent to nearly $29 million.