There's gold in them slogans.

• Author: Quinn, Kathleen
• Position: STATESTATS

Thirty-five percent of Americans will travel as a family this year, according to a AAA survey. That means some 105 million people could see at least one state travel slogan-those catchy little phrases that tourism officials across the country devise to lure throngs of money-spending visitors to their states. Some slogans, like "Grand Canyon State" (Arizona). remind us of natural wonders; others, like "Dream Big" (California). evoke a state of mind. Still others-"This Is lowa"-seem, well. self-evident Whatever the wording, the goal is the same: to claim a share of resident and international travelers' spending, which averaged $2.7 billion a day in 2016, according to the U.S. Travel Association.

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Note: Travel spending for the U.S. Virgin Islands was $1.3 billion in 2015; tax revenue was not available. Neither figures were available for Puerto Rico. Source: NCSL, 2017

Tourists Help Pay States' Bills Here's a look at how much tourists spent by state in 2015 and the state and local tourism tax revenue each state took in. State Travel Spending, Tax Revenue, 2015, in billions 2015 Alabama $12.6 $798 million Alaska $1.9 $187.8 million Arizona $21.0 $1.7 billion Arkansas $7.3 $511.9 million California $122.4 $9.9 billion Colorado $19.1 $1.1 billion Connecticut $8.7 $910 million Delaware $3.1 $486 million Florida $108.8 $11.3 billion Georgia $26.7 (2014) $3...