Page 125 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2025

Why Tourism
MATTERS
When people think of tourism, they often think of crowds or traffic. But in Ocean Springs, tourism means something much deeper—it means growth, opportunity, and a chance to preserve what makes our town special.
Over the past year, we’ve seen just how important tourism is to our local economy and community. Ocean Springs welcomed more than 300,000 visitors, and we saw a 17 percent increase in hotel sales. Along with that, our sales tax, lodging tax, and food and beverage tax revenues all climbed. That’s real impact—more support for our small businesses, more foot traffic downtown and all around town, and more resources to reinvest back into our community.
What’s also exciting is the trend we’re seeing:
more families are making Ocean Springs their go-to destination. They’re not just coming for one event— they’re bringing their friends and loved ones back again and again, exploring our festivals, staying for the weekend, shopping with our local merchants, dining with our restaurants and purchasing a second home in our town.
This is exactly why we do the work we do at the Ocean Springs Chamber-Main Street-Tourism Bureau. Behind the scenes, our team is constantly tracking trends, visitor behavior, and digital engagement. We use that data to build smart, focused marketing campaigns that reach beyond our coast and invite new audiences to come experience the art, charm, and authenticity that lives here.
Tourism helps us share our story, but it also helps us sustain it. That’s why we’ll continue creating meaningful campaigns and experiences that not only attract visitors, but help keep Ocean Springs vibrant, walkable, creative, and full of heart—for generations to come.
“Tourism matters here because it supports the very things that make Ocean Springs special—our local shops,
Tourism isn’t just about visitors—it’s about vitality for our local economy. In the past year alone, Ocean Springs:
Saw a 17% increase in hotel sales
Welcomed over 300,000 visitors
Experienced growth in sales, lodging, and food and beverage tax revenues
More families are making Ocean Springs their go-to for weekend getaways, festivals, shopping, and dining experiences
our artists, our events, and our way of life. When people slow down and stay awhile, they’re not just visiting, they’re investing in our community. That’s why we track tourism—it helps us see what’s working to keep creating meaningful
experiences and to ensure we are preserving the charm of our town for
both visitors and locals,” says Cynthia Sutton, President & CEO of the Ocean Springs Chamber of Commerce-Main Street-Tourism Bureau.
THE PROOF IS IN THE NUMBERS
1000 WASHINGTON AVE. OCEAN SPRINGS, MS
228.875.4424
www.oceanspringschamber.com
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net August 2025 | 125