Baltimore Tourism Revenue Reached $4.3 Billion in 2025
Local business owners should track these visitor figures to anticipate demand shifts in the city’s hospitality and retail sectors.
Updated on Oct. 10, 2026 in Remote Work
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Visit Baltimore reported that the city hosted more than 28.7 million visitors in 2025, resulting in an economic impact of over $4.3 billion. The announcement came during the organization's October 1, 2026, annual meeting at the Baltimore Museum of Industry.
Why it matters
The organization's B-Side campaign, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, aims to shift negative perceptions of the city to stabilize and grow hospitality demand. By leveraging national marketing, the city seeks to convert these impressions into reliable foot traffic for local operators.
Tourism generated over $4.3 billion for the local economy in 2025 from a total of 28.7 million visitors. During Fiscal Year 2026, Visit Baltimore secured 36 citywide events and 200,000 room nights, though the specific financial value of these bookings versus prior periods was not disclosed.
The players
Visit Baltimore
The official destination marketing organization for Baltimore, responsible for promoting the city as a tourism and convention destination.
The Baltimore Sun
The primary daily newspaper for the Baltimore area, which recognized Visit Baltimore as one of its top workplaces in 2025.
The details
The tourism strategy currently relies on the B-Side campaign to influence consumer perception through targeted commercial broadcasts and vinyl-themed messaging. Operators should note that the campaign uses marketing impressions exceeding 300 million to drive interest. This programmatic effort is intended to increase occupancy and customer traffic for local businesses in the coming years.
Timeline
2025 marked the period when Baltimore welcomed 28.7 million visitors.
Fiscal Year 2026 saw the booking of 36 citywide events and 200,000 room nights.
October 1, 2026, was the date of the Visit Baltimore annual meeting.
Market Landscape
The B-Side campaign follows the pattern of municipal agencies utilizing American Rescue Plan Act funds to modernize destination branding post-pandemic. This strategy prioritizes long-term image correction to support local hospitality demand against regional competition.
Operators in hospitality and retail should align their inventory and staffing schedules with the 36 citywide events booked for the current fiscal cycle. Monitoring these event dates is critical for managing supply costs and anticipating seasonal demand spikes.
The takeaway
The city is aggressively pushing for higher visitor volume through targeted national campaigns. Business owners should track the progress of these 300 million marketing impressions to adjust their own promotional efforts accordingly.
Further reading
For broader trends impacting how cities attract business travelers, see Remote Work.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Baltimore Times.
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