AH&MA's Lodging Industry Profile Shows 1999 as the Most Profitable Year in U.S. Lodging History; The Fourth Consecutive Year of Record Numbers

After suffering losses a decade ago due to declining occupancies and slowing revenue per available room (RevPar) growth, the industry continues to advance steadily. Total industry revenue rose from $62.8 billion in 1990 to $99.7 billion in 1999.

Other facts found in the 1999 LIP:

• There are 52,000 properties consisting of 3.9 million rooms.
• The lodging industry directly supported more than seven million jobs.
• The tourism industry is currently the third largest retail industry, behind automotive and food stores. In 29 states, the tourism industry also ranks as the second or third largest employer.
• Tourism generated $520 billion in sales -- excluding nearly $21.1 billion in international travelers' spending on U.S. air travel.

Information contained in the 1999 LIP is based on data provided by D.K. Shifflet & Associates, Ltd., Smith Travel Research, the Travel Industry Association of America, and the U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of Tourism Industries/International Trade Administration.

For a free copy of The 1999 AH&MA Lodging Industry Profile, call the AH&MA fax-on-demand service at (800) 701-7725, document #10, or the AH&MA Information Center at (202) 289-3193. A full copy also can be found on the AH&MA Web site, www.ahma.com.

AH&MA, founded in 1910, is a federation of state lodging associations throughout the United States, with some 11,000 members worldwide, representing more than 1.4 million rooms. AH&MA provides operations, technical, educational, marketing, and communications services plus governmental affairs representation to the lodging industry.