Tourism is one of the most visible ways a state converts geography and culture into economic output. Florida, Hawaii, Nevada, Louisiana, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado all do it in very different ways.

What makes tourism economics interesting is that every state sells a different version of itself. Some sell beaches and theme parks, some sell national parks, some sell gaming and entertainment, and some sell culture, food, or cruise travel.

This quiz connects visitor economies to the states behind them. It is a good reminder that restaurants, hotels, airports, entertainment, and local tax revenue can all depend heavily on travel demand.

If you want a more modern, service-sector-heavy angle on state economics, tourism is a strong addition to the category.

Orlando, Florida is consistently one of the most-visited destinations in the country thanks to Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando, while Las Vegas built its entire modern identity around gaming and entertainment tourism. Hawaii and Utah take a different path, selling natural scenery and national parks rather than manufactured attractions.

The Great Smoky Mountains, straddling Tennessee and North Carolina, is actually the most-visited national park in the entire US system — ahead of the Grand Canyon in Arizona and Yellowstone across Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho — in part because it's free to enter and within a day's drive of a huge share of the population. Urban tourism runs on a different logic entirely: New York City's Times Square is often cited as the single most-visited attraction of any kind in the country, driven by sheer foot traffic rather than a ticketed entrance.

Cruise tourism adds another layer entirely, with Florida's ports serving as launch points for a large share of the world's cruise passengers each year.