TULSA, Okla. — Oklahoma’s third-largest industry is tourism, and the Tulsa area plays a major role in drawing crowds.
As 2024 draws to a close, how did we perform compared to years past?
2 News Oklahoma’s Douglas Braff asked officials about that and listened to tourists’ reasons for stopping by.
“Oh, it's great! I mean, it was a great year,” said Jonathan Huskey. “Everything is definitely trending in the right direction.”
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From events like the Big Dam Party or Oktoberfest to the continued successes of attractions like the Gathering Place or the area’s many museums, Tulsa has much to write home about in 2024.
2 News dug through the data from the marketing firm Tulsa Regional Tourism, where Huskey is the communications director.
In fiscal year 2023, which ended in June 2024 for TRT, it estimated the total local economic impact from events to be $327 million, $10 million more than FY 2022.
Judging by the numbers, FY 2024 is off to a strong start. Already, we see the first quarter raking in$20 million more than quarter one of FY 2023.
Huskey told us he likes to say, “No matter what you're looking for, you can find it in Tulsa."
We sat down with him to learn more about what’s driving the numbers, in addition to big headline events like the State Fair.
He told us Hollywood projects set or filmed in the area bring fans here, saying, “There's definitely been an impact.”
“The term now is ‘set jetters,’ as opposed to ‘jet setters,’” he explained. “It's folks that like to go travel to the places where their favorite shows were shows and movies were filmed, and see some of those landmarks.”
“We've definitely seen that with 'Tulsa King.' We've seen it up in the Osage Nation with 'Killers of the Flower Moon' — also Reservation Dogs out in Okmulgee,” he added.
2 News spoke with some tourists who confirmed that’s a big reason they visited Green Country.
Eli, from Austin, TX, drove up Route 66 to see some "Tulsa King" sites.
“I just really liked the TV episodes on Prime that I was just recently watching on there,” he said, “and I thought it would be a cool place to check out.”
Gina, a flight attendant from North Carolina with a 30-hour layover in Tulsa, said she and her husband “only came here because 'Tulsa King' was from here.”
“We thought we'd see all these places where 'Tulsa King' was filmed, and then I found out it's filmed in Atlanta. And so, I was like, ‘Now I gotta find stuff to do.’”
She then found the site where one of her favorite childhood films, "The Outsiders," was shot. So, she and her husband stopped by the Outsider House Museum for a tour.
“I had no idea it was filmed out here, so I was super excited,” she said. “I can't believe it! It's a classic.”
"The Outsiders" was already a popular film and novel, drawing crowds to the Outsider House, which Huskey said was a notable driver of tourism this year.
“But then, when the musical came out, combined with Danny Boy O'Connor calling Tulsa home, that just kind of juiced that up again,” he said.
That musical adaptation debuted on Broadway in the spring to much fanfare. But come fall 2025, it’ll start its national tour. It’s first stop: Tulsa.
With "The Outsiders" musical, the museum’s executive director, O'Connor, said, “I think we've doubled our numbers. … [We] definitely can attribute that to the musical.”
He continued: “Seventh and eighth graders are really what keep this thing alive because, as they discover it, they bring their family and friends who have also seen the movie, read the book, and they come through.”
“So, I always tell people I thought I was making a middle-aged museum for greasers like myself, for mostly men. But what we ended up building by default is a children's museum for the readers of the book and now fans of the musical.”
Huskey also told us Route 66 and its attractions keep funneling people from all over into town.
Clinton Johnson, from Duncan, OK, was at the Outsiders House when he told 2 News he and his family were “hitting all the different touristy things around Tulsa area. Anything related to Route 66. … [We] hit Buck Atom yesterday and all that.”
“2024 was great, and we expect ‘25 to be even better,” said Huskey. “So, it's gonna be a good year.”
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