At the annual meeting of the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce in Jamestown last week, the executive director of the National Comedy Center brought some encouraging statistics.

Journey Gunderson, keynote speaker for the event, said that both the National Comedy Center and the Lucy-Desi Museum had more than 95,000 visitors since August 2018, when the comedy center opened. These visitors are bringing a positive impact to the south county economy.

About 60% of non-area visitors stayed for two or more days in the area; 77% ate at local restaurants, while averaging the purchase of 2.6 meals; the average group size was 3.72, who spent an average of $346; and 35% visited additional attractions other than the National Comedy Center or Lucy-Desi Museum while visiting Jamestown.

In all, 66,000 have visited the center and represented all 50 states and 16 nations. “We always knew this would be a team effort,” Gunderson said.

And, that effort, is a benefit to everyone who lives and works here.