Atlanta tourism combines a large hospitality economy, one of the world’s busiest airports, and a substantial meetings and conventions business. The Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB) says the city’s hospitality industry is worth $20 billion and generated an estimated 51 million visitors in 2024. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport handled 108.1 million passengers during that year, making air access a central part of the city’s tourism picture.
Contents
- Atlanta tourism at a glance
- Visitors and the hospitality economy
- Airport passenger and operations statistics
- Monthly airport patterns in 2024
- Airlines, domestic travel, and international travel
- Conventions, hotels, and visitor infrastructure
- Hotel taxes and Atlanta tourism funding
Atlanta tourism at a glance
The following figures provide a compact view of Atlanta’s tourism scale. Dates and definitions matter: visitor totals are an ACVB estimate for calendar year 2024, airport figures are reported for 2024 or FY2024, and the hotel-tax figures use City of Atlanta fiscal-year categories.
| Measure | Figure | Period or definition |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated visitors | 51 million | 2024, ACVB estimate |
| Hospitality industry value | $20 billion | ACVB description |
| Airport passengers | 108.1 million | Calendar year 2024 |
| Airport takeoffs and landings | 796,224 | Calendar year 2024 |
| Airport direct economic impact | $66 billion | Annual impact in Georgia, ATL statement |
| Hotel/motel tax rate | 8% | Guestroom or short-term rental occupancy |
| FY2025 adopted city hotel-tax revenue | $98,953,067 | City of Atlanta budget |
These measures are not interchangeable. The estimated visitor count describes people visiting Atlanta, while airport passenger totals count airport traffic, including travelers whose final destination may be elsewhere. The airport’s economic-impact figure is also broader than tourism spending alone.
Visitors and the hospitality economy
The Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau was established in 1913 and serves as the official destination marketing organization for the city, according to “About Us | Discover Atlanta.” ACVB says it acts as a liaison to more than 850 member organizations. That membership role places the bureau between destination promotion and the wider network of businesses that serve visitors.
ACVB describes Atlanta’s hospitality industry as worth $20 billion. It also reports an estimated 51 million visitors in 2024. Because the source labels this visitor number as an estimate, it should be read as an approximation for the year rather than a precisely counted total. The supplied source record identifies the research as legacy research that was not independently verified; the figure is therefore presented here as ACVB’s stated estimate.
Atlanta’s meetings profile is another part of the tourism economy. Atlanta ranked No. 1 in Northstar Meetings Group’s December 2023 Convention Cities Index, as reported by “Atlanta Secures Top Spot in Northstar Meetings Group’s Convention Cities Index | Discover Atlanta.” The index is updated biannually and uses six evaluation categories. The ranking is a meetings-industry benchmark from December 2023, not a measure of every leisure trip or every visitor in 2024.
Airport passenger and operations statistics
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport served 108.1 million passengers in 2024, according to the “ATL 2024 passenger press release.” That was the second-highest annual passenger volume in the airport’s history. The airport’s 2019 record was 110 million passengers, so the 2024 total was below that stated record while remaining close to it. ATL reported that passenger traffic rose 3% in 2024 compared with 2023.
The airport recorded 796,224 takeoffs and landings in 2024. Aircraft operations rose 2.6% compared with 2023, while cargo operations increased 6%. ATL also states that its annual direct economic impact is $66 billion in Georgia. This impact statement covers the airport’s economic role across the state and should not be treated as a direct estimate of visitor spending in Atlanta.
The FY2024 ACFR uses a related but different set of airport measures. FY2024 enplanements were 53,681,363, an 8.0% increase from FY2023. FY2024 flight operations were 790,646, up 5.7% from FY2023. Air cargo and mail totaled 602,281 metric tons, down 1.6% from FY2023. Total enplaned and deplaned passengers were approximately 107.5 million, up 8.1% from FY2023.
The difference between the 108.1 million calendar-year passenger figure and approximately 107.5 million in the FY2024 ACFR reflects different reporting periods and reporting conventions. They should not be combined into one total.
Monthly airport patterns in 2024
ATL’s monthly traffic reports show how passenger volume varied during 2024. January total passengers were 7,684,207, while June recorded 9,918,327. December totaled 9,074,423 passengers. July had 9,377,840, August had 9,498,509, September had 8,821,709, October had 9,368,370, and November had 8,688,168.
The same reports provide monthly freight and express totals. January recorded 47,845 metric tons, June 51,450 metric tons, December 51,196 metric tons, July 43,999 metric tons, August 46,001 metric tons, September 46,829 metric tons, October 50,572 metric tons, and November 48,012 metric tons. These are monthly airport traffic measures, not visitor counts for Atlanta.
| Month | Total passengers | Freight and express |
|---|---|---|
| January 2024 | 7,684,207 | 47,845 metric tons |
| June 2024 | 9,918,327 | 51,450 metric tons |
| July 2024 | 9,377,840 | 43,999 metric tons |
| August 2024 | 9,498,509 | 46,001 metric tons |
| September 2024 | 8,821,709 | 46,829 metric tons |
| October 2024 | 9,368,370 | 50,572 metric tons |
| November 2024 | 8,688,168 | 48,012 metric tons |
| December 2024 | 9,074,423 | 51,196 metric tons |
The available monthly figures show June as the highest passenger month among the listed reports and January as the lowest. They also show the highest listed freight-and-express total in June, narrowly ahead of December. These comparisons are limited to the months reported here.
Airlines, domestic travel, and international travel
The January 2024 ATL Airport Traffic Report recorded 4,805,174 Delta Air Lines passengers, 598,933 Southwest Airlines passengers, 170,749 American Airlines passengers, and 120,116 United Airlines passengers. The June report recorded 6,366,187 Delta passengers, 697,808 Southwest passengers, 231,552 American passengers, and 180,802 United passengers.
The December 2024 report recorded 7,953,310 Delta Air Lines passengers, 7,920,352 Southwest Airlines passengers, and 1,959,612 United Airlines passengers. These airline figures are reported passenger totals for the named carriers and month, not a complete ranking of every airline at ATL.
The December 2024 ATL report also recorded year-to-date combined on-and-off totals of 46,653,808 domestic passengers and 14,629,580 international passengers. The domestic and international figures use the report’s year-to-date definition through December 2024. They are distinct from the single-month December passenger total and should not be added to that monthly number.
Conventions, hotels, and visitor infrastructure
Atlanta’s convention infrastructure is a notable part of its tourism offering. Georgia World Congress Center Authority says its campus is the largest combined convention, sports, and entertainment campus in North America, according to “Atlanta Secures Top Spot in Northstar Meetings Group’s Convention Cities Index | Discover Atlanta.” The same source says its convention center is the largest LEED Gold certified convention center in the world.
Hotel capacity also includes major downtown properties. Signia by Hilton Atlanta opened with 976 guest rooms. The 42-story hotel has 1.25 million square feet, according to “Signia by Hilton Debuts Flagship Hotel in Downtown Atlanta | Discover Atlanta.” Those figures describe one property rather than Atlanta’s entire lodging inventory.
The meetings ranking, convention campus claims, and hotel dimensions describe visitor infrastructure rather than visitor volume. Together, they help explain why Atlanta’s tourism statistics include a significant business-events component alongside leisure and air travel.
Hotel taxes and Atlanta tourism funding
The City of Atlanta’s FY2025 Budget states that the city’s hotel/motel tax rate is 8% on guestroom or short-term rental occupancy. The city’s share of that tax is 24.99%. The remaining 75.01% of hotel/motel tax revenue is distributed to ACVB, the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium project recipients.
City hotel/motel tax revenue was $95,569,135 in FY2023 actuals. The FY2024 adopted budget listed $88,528,440, while the FY2025 adopted budget listed $98,953,067. These are different budget and actual categories, so they should be labeled by fiscal-year status rather than treated as a continuous year-over-year actual series.
| City hotel/motel tax measure | Amount | Status |
|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | $95,569,135 | Actuals |
| FY2024 | $88,528,440 | Adopted budget |
| FY2025 | $98,953,067 | Adopted budget |
The budget figures show how lodging-related tax revenue supports Atlanta’s visitor ecosystem. The allocation percentages also indicate that most hotel/motel tax revenue is directed beyond the city’s 24.99% share, including support for destination marketing, convention infrastructure, and a stadium project recipient. Because the source reports the rate and allocation within the City of Atlanta FY2025 Budget, the figures apply to that budget context and its stated occupancy tax base.