WCPO 9's Jackie Bauer covers Warren County. If you have a story that you'd like Jackie to look into or a news tip, email her at Jackie@WCPO.com.
MASON, Ohio — Warren County welcomed 14.1 million visitors last year, generating a record $1.74 billion in economic impact and $229 million in tax revenue, according to a new report by Tourism Economics.
Scott Hutchinson with the Warren County Visitors Bureau broke down what was behind the record year.
"Obviously, a lot of people don't think of Warren County, if they live here, maybe as someone else's vacation destination. But we welcomed 14.1 million visitors to the county last year," Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson said the tax revenue generated by visitors directly benefits local residents' pockets.
The more taxes people who don't live here are paying, the fewer taxes locals have to pay. We are very, very easy to get to," Hutchinson said. "We're within a day's drive of the majority of the United States, so in a year when a lot of people were looking for easy places to get away to, affordable places to get away to, we made a lot of sense."
Watch: Warren County tourism hits a record $1.74 billion in economic impact as the Cincinnati Open prepares for its biggest year yet.
The biggest contributor to the record numbers was a $260 million campus expansion and a full two weeks of the Cincinnati Open tennis tournament.
"Last year we had a record-breaking crowd ... we had more than 285,000 fans come through our gates over the course of two weeks," Elizabeth Desrosiers, director of marketing for the Cincinnati Open, said. "We had people come from all 50 states, from 65 countries and that's just the fans."
This year's Cincinnati Open is just one month away, and organizers are planning for the largest crowd yet.
"It really is an exciting time to have such an influx of people come here to Mason and Warren County and to this tournament," Desrosiers said.
Hutchinson said the focus this year extends beyond those out-of-town visitors.
"Of course we're all about people coming in from out of town, but this year are really pushing the community aspect," Hutchinson said.
Desrosiers said returning fans are fueling excitement heading into the 2026 tournament.
"We'll see more crowds, now they know what we have to offer and they're curious and excited and wanting to come back for more," Desrosiers said.
Tickets are now on sale, with Fan Fest kicking off this weekend to open tournament season.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
WCPO 9's Jackie Bauer covers Warren County. If you have a story that you'd like Jackie to look into or a news tip, email her at Jackie@WCPO.com.
