PORT CLINTON — In 2023, 13 million visitors came to the Ohio Shores and Islands area, powering a tourism industry that generated more than $3 billion.
The skeleton of a new Hampton Inn along the Lake Erie shoreline reflects an effort by the region spanning Erie and Ottawa County to keep pace with its fast-growing economy. The hotel, at State Rt. 163 and State Rt. 53, and several other construction projects are driven both by economic opportunity and concentrated government efforts to facilitate development.
Last summer, six local groups, including chambers of commerce and corporations, consolidated into the Greater Sandusky Partnership to scale up their efforts…