There’s a tourism boom in the natural state as a record 54.3 million people paid a visit to Arkansas, and spending a record $10.2 billion. That’s according to state figures recently released. This translated into a total economic impact of $17.4 billion, while supporting 71,860 direct jobs statewide.
The 2025 Economic Impact Report, prepared by the research and consulting firm Tourism Economics, brought all these figures together to give state leaders a consolidated, holistic picture of the state of tourism in the state of Arkansas. And leaders say the view looks great.
Secretary Shea Lewis and Tourism Director Dalaney Thomas with the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism spoke about those successes during an appearance on the statewide, syndicated news program “Talk Business and Politics” on Sunday.
Lewis told host Roby Brock that tourism continues to be the second largest industry in Arkansas, behind only agriculture. And Thomas credits much of their success to being an easily accessible, centrally located, cost-friendly, outdoor recreation destination.
Thomas explained to bolster a visitor’s experience, they help develop individual ‘itinerary building.’ “We’ve rolled out something we’re calling ‘Base Camp Towns,’ which helps travelers think about overnighting in one specific community and all of the attractions and activities you can do from that area. So, I was just in Heber Springs this week, capturing some content there and we were, you know, just a jump and a skip away from the Little Red River.”
But according to Thomas, that is just one feature once a visitor has arrived in Arkansas. They have to get to the state first. That’s why she also spoke about the essentials of executing a targeted marketing strategy as they did successfully in 2025. Thomas also credited “record 2% tax collections late in the year for having the available resource for their expanded national visibility.
