OKC tourism surges in FY25 with record growth, strategic gains

Visit OKC is the official destination marketing organization for the Greater OKC region, promoting the city as a top destination for conventions, sports and leisure travel. Through targeted sales and marketing, Visit OKC aims to raise the city’s national profile. 

The recent release of Visit OKC’s fiscal year 2025 (FY25) annual report shows the organization played a key role in one of the city's strongest tourism years on record. Its efforts helped raise OKC’s profile on national and international stages through major event wins, increased media visibility. And the approval of new tourism funding that will shape the next phase of growth. The FY25 annual report offers a detailed snapshot of where OKC tourism stands and where it’s headed. 

Hotel tax vote fuels new investment 

In August 2024, OKC voters approved the first increase to the city’s hotel tax in nearly 20 years. The new rate is expected to generate about $11.6 million annually. The funds will support Visit OKC’s expanded marketing strategy, attract more high-impact events, and finance maintenance at major venues, including the OKC Convention Center and OKC Fairgrounds. 

The increase marks the first significant boost to local tourism marketing funding in more than 50 years. City officials say it will help OKC compete with peer markets without adding tax burdens to residents. 

Sports fuel global attention 

OKC’s presence in global sports grew significantly in FY25. The city was selected to stage two LA28 Olympic events, signaling confidence in its ability to deliver high-quality sports experiences. In June, the Thunder’s first NBA championship win sparked the state’s largest-ever public event—a downtown parade that drew hundreds of thousands and showed the city’s readiness for large-scale celebrations. 

RIVERSPORT events added to the momentum. USRowing’s RowFest 2024 attracted 1,600 athletes, drew 17,748 attendees and generated $3.5 million in estimated impact. The ICF World Ranking Canoe Slalom helped position OKC for the 2026 World Championships and Olympic-related activities. 

The 2025 NCAA Women’s College World Series set new records with 119,778 fans in attendance and 2.4 million viewers for the finals. The OKC Memorial Marathon also hit a record, drawing more than 26,000 runners from all 50 states and 17 countries. 

Equine events remained strong, with the grand opening of the OKC Fairgrounds new OG&E Coliseum in June elevating industry events, starting with the NRHA Derby. 

Convention sales see momentum 

Visit OKC’s destination sales and services team reported key FY25 wins. Among those wins was the 2027 Mary Kay Seminar, previously held in Dallas for more than 20 years. The event is expected to bring 16,000 room nights and generate $11 million in economic impact. 

The convention sales team secured 26 future citywide events, totaling 173,027 definite room nights—a 12% increase from the previous year. Interest in OKC also rose among meeting planners, with the team hosting 138 site visits—nearly 50% above its annual goal. 

Digital and social media growth 

Visit OKC’s digital platforms continued to grow. VisitOKC.com drew nearly 1.9 million users in FY25 and drove more than 500,000 clicks to partner websites. TikTok views rose 128%, while Instagram followers increased 35%, topping 100,000. 

Paid media campaigns delivered more than 60 million impressions and 5 million engagements. Visit OKC’s public relations efforts resulted in 239 pieces of earned media coverage. National outlets including CNN Travel, Travel + Leisure and Southern Living featured OKC in stories that increased visibility and positioned the city as a top travel destination. 

Visit OKC advances strategic priorities 

As Visit OKC looks ahead to FY26, the organization finalized a five-year strategic plan with the Coraggio Group. The plan outlines four focus areas starting in FY26: amplifying OKC’s brand, improving destination connectivity, supporting 360-degree destination enhancement and optimizing internal operations. The plan will guide efforts to strengthen the city’s reputation, improve the visitor experience and support sustainable growth. 

Quick facts: Visitor economy statistics

• 24.5 million annual visitors 
• $4.6 billion total economic impact 
• $2.8 billion in visitor spending 
• 35,303 jobs supported through tourism 
• 1,016,741 potential future room nights in event pipeline 
• 98% customer satisfaction rating for Visit OKC services 
• 40 travel writers and content creators hosted 
• 160 site visits for meeting planners, sports officials and group tour operators 
• 266 groups, conventions, sports and equine events provided with registration and servicing