COLUMBUS – Columbus may never have the glitz of Las Vegas, the lure of Disney World, the hipster cachet of Austin or the bright lights of New York, but a recent survey of people who have been to the city say it is on a par with those destinations.
The first-ever J.D. Power Destination Experience Satisfaction Study reports that Columbus ranks highest in the Midwest for visitors satisfaction, ahead of Kansas City and Indianapolis.
Las Vegas was the top destination in the West Region, Austin in the Southwest, Orlando in the South, and New York in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic area, according to the survey of overall satisfaction among visitors to the top 50 U.S. travel destinations for business or leisure.
The study assesses six factors: activities, cost, food and beverage, infrastructure, lodging, and “arrival.”
Columbus visitors gave high marks (799 on a scale of 1,000) for the food and beverage scene, affordability and infrastructure.
Las Vegas, with 827 points, was the highest overall vote-getter.
J.D. Power, a marketing, consumer intelligence, and data and analytics firm, studied responses gathered between February and July 2016 from more than 26,000 travelers who visited a U.S. metropolitan area between December 2015 and July 2016.