Fall River Releases its Tourism Report


Link to Final  Fall River Tourism Report: 

Fall River Tourism Research Study_June 2023_FINAL


(FALL RIVER, MA- JULY 10, 2023)- The City of Fall River is releasing a report of the quantitative data obtained in the Fall River Tourism Insights and Opportunities Research. The long term goal of this research is to support Fall River’s economic development by leveraging the potential of the creative economy and cultural tourism. This research report is to be followed by an addendum with further qualitative research in the fall of 2023.

The City of Fall River allocated $50,000 of ARPA funds to this study to obtain a comprehensive research and analysis report outlining statistical and qualitative data regarding tourism insights and opportunities. The research was conducted by UMass Dartmouth’s Charlton College of Business with support from Springline Research Associates and FXM Associates. This study was overseen by Viva Fall River and its Tourism Advisory Committee.

Through extensive research, a series of key quantitative findings were discovered which will serve as crucial assets in creating targeted marketing strategies for Fall River. This initial data pertains to Fall River’s socioeconomic ranking, per capita sales, employment levels, visitor profiles, consumer spending, and more which are laid out in the Contents section of the final report document. The key findings from the research study are listed below:

  • Fall River captures substantial retail sales from non-Fall River residents in sectors such as Retail Trade, Arts/Entertainment/Recreation, Accommodation, and Food Services (pg. ii)
  • Approximately, 35.7% of visitors come from locations more than an hour away ( pg. iii)
  • In 2022, Fall River collected $1,626,962 in meals tax, a 524% increase since 2012 (pg. vi)
  • Fall River is the third most populous City in the market area, behind Providence and New Bedford (pg.6)
  • The top states of origin for visitors include the New England states, as well as New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and California (pg.16)
  • Fall River has a local room occupancy tax rate of 4%, while most communities in Bristol County, including New Bedford, have a rate of 6% (pg.22)
  • 47% of international visitors are from Canada (pg.21)

 

The analysis up to this point has identified visitor segments and potential market opportunities and informs the section of the report that discusses potential short-term and long-term strategies to guide future marketing efforts for the City of Fall River. As the qualitative data report is released in the near future, a comprehensive marketing plan will be developed to ensure economic growth for Fall River.

For any further questions, do not hesitate to reach out to opeixoto@fallriverma.org, Specials Projects & Media Coordinator for the City of Fall River or Patti Rego, Executive Director of Viva Fall River at prego@onesouthcoast.com.