It’s fair to say the world would be a much different place if Roy Moore had defeated Doug Jones in last year’s U.S. Senate special election in Alabama.

Beyond just raw Republican-versus-Democrat totals in the U.S. Senate, some credit Alabama voters choosing Jones over Moore, including Jones himself, for the selection of the Limestone County site for the new $1.6 billion Toyota-Mazda plant.

Add a bump to Alabama tourism economy according to Alabama Tourism Department director Lee Sentell.

At the top of the list of factors contributing to a $1 billion spike in tourism, Sentell credits Jones win according to a report published on Friday by the Montgomery Advertiser’s Brad Harper.

“I think the average person would be surprised to know that something like an election could have a potential impact on the tourism industry, which is obviously non-political,” Sentell said. “But we had lots of calls and emails the month leading up to (the election of Sen. Doug Jones), people saying, ‘We will never come to Gulf Shores again if’ the election turned out opposite the way they wanted it to.

“In a way, people vote with their money when they go on vacation.”

Sentell said the beaches were the biggest tourist draw for Alabama. He also credited the opening of the Equal Justice Initiative’s downtown museum and memorial to lynching for increases in tourism specific to Montgomery.

@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and is the editor of Breitbart TV.