text: operates an optical disc replication and packaging plant in Tuscaloosa.The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company operates a large plant in Gadsden which employs about 1,400 people.It has been in operation since 1929.Construction of an Airbus A320 family aircraft assembly plant in Mobile was formally announced by Airbus CEO Fabrice Brégier from the Mobile Convention Center on July 2, 2012.The plans include a $600million factory at the Brookley Aeroplex for the assembly of the A319, A320 and A321 aircraft.Construction began in 2013, with plans for it to become operable by 2015 and produce up to 50 aircraft per year by 2017.b The assembly plant is the company's first factory to be built within the United States.It was announced on February 1, 2013, that Airbus had hired Alabama-based Hoar Construction to oversee construction of the facility.The factory officially opened on September 14, 2015, covering one million square feet on 53 acres of flat grassland.Tourism and entertainment According to Business Insider, Alabama ranked 14th in most popular states to visit in 2014.An estimated 26 million tourists visited the state in 2017 and spent $14.3 billion, providing directly or indirectly 186,900 jobs in the state, which includes 362,000 International tourists spending $589 million.