Tourism has become an increasingly important part of the economy in recent decades for a state that promotes itself as "full of surprises. " The state invests over $2.5 million each year to market tourism products. Tourist spending reached about $9.9 billion in 2001. The same year tourism accounted for about 6% of the GSP and 13.35% of employment across the state.
Popular tourist attractions include the Mystic Seaport restoration and its aquarium, the Mark Twain House and state capitol in Hartford, the American Clock and Watch Museum in Bristol, the Lock Museum of America in Terryville, and the Yale campus in New Haven. Outstanding events are the Harvard–Yale regatta held each June on the Thames River in New London, and about 50 fairs held in Guilford and other towns between June and October.