by Izzy Mignardi ’27 on October 30, 2025
News
Rhode Island saw a record number of 29.4 million tourists in 2024. Governor Dan McKee credits this 3.5 percent increase from the previous year to the state’s “strategic investments in destination marketing.” For example, Rhode Island Commerce launched its “All That” campaign in February of 2024 to showcase how Rhode Island truly has everything: history, beaches, culture, and more.
Visitors spent over six billion dollars on food, lodging, retail, and transportation. This averages out to around 16.3 million dollars spent per day. Most visitors traveled for leisure rather than business, more stayed for the day rather than overnight, and very few were traveling internationally.
Still, the traveler economy supported 88,509 jobs. Natives often complain that the tourism industry exploits the natural landscapes and increases the cost of living for residents. It also leads to increased congestion, especially this past summer, with ongoing construction on the Washington Bridge. Nonetheless, the Tourism Economics report cites that each household would have to be taxed an additional $2,230 to replace the visitor-generated taxes, which total $992 million.
Among popular tourist destinations in RI is Newport, known for its famous mansions and Cliff Walk. It’s also the county with the highest number of visitors this year. A close second was Providence, which offers tourists historical sights, fantastic food in Federal Hill, and community events like WaterFire. Both cities are home to locations of the Nitro Bar, a café that has become an internet sensation and is at the top of many tourists’ to-do lists. And of course, in the summer months, many come from neighboring states such as Massachusetts and Connecticut to visit the gorgeous beaches of Block Island.
With only a few months left in the year, we will soon see if this level of tourism has been maintained in 2025.