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The Power of Hoosier Hospitality... |
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No other state welcomes and hosts their out-of-town guests like Indiana does. Hoosier Hospitality is more than a way of life in Indiana. It is a vibrant, professional industry that builds communities, creates jobs and stimulates investment. |
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| Return on Investment Power |
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Tourism reduces the tax obligation for every Indiana household by approximately $448 on average. |
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15:1 Return on investment – For every $1 spent on tourism promotion and advertising, communities get back an average of $15 in state and local taxes. |
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The average county in Indiana received about $11.7 million in wages from hotel and motel accommodations, $66 million in food service, $7.5 million in amusement and gaming, almost $2 million from museums and $19.5 million in wages from the arts and recreation activities. (2006) |
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Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVBs) are local destination marketing organizations funded primarily through innkeeper’s taxes paid by visitors traveling through the state and staying in a local lodging facility. Through these funds, CVBs promote tourism destinations in their communities. Tourism dollars raised in the community stay in the community and are then multiplied many times. That’s how local CVBs are able to strengthen the tourism industry. |
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| Local Power |
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Each Indiana community is unique with its own flavor and tourism assets. Therefore, each community knows how to most effectively market itself to travelers. In one community, that may mean developing sports initiative to attract youth sports tournaments; in another, it may mean pursuing the small conference market or launching creative leisure travel campaigns; and in yet another, it may mean coordinating a collective marketing program with local
businesses.
Future legislation should not redirect the locally generated innkeeper’s tax outside the county in which it is generated without the consent of the legislatively enabled and appointed tourism authority within that county. |
State Power |
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Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman oversees the Indiana Office of Tourism Development, charged with promoting travel to the state. IOTD produces the Indiana Travel Guide and VisitIndiana.com, the official travel resources for planning a vacation or getaway in Indiana as well as developing partnerships, promotions and research. Through these efforts and advertising, IOTD reaches travelers and motivates them to spend time and money in Indiana.
Although Indiana currently has one of the lowest tourism budgets in the country, the state’s investment in marketing still generates $285 million in overall tourism economic impact, which is more than a 200% rate of return. |
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| Power Up |
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Tax revenue generated by the hospitality industry should be dedicated to marketing and/ or developing tourism products to sustain and grow the industry. |
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Keeping decisions local allows each community to determine the best ways to invest and target the funds generated by local tourism. |
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The Indiana Office of Tourism Development should be funded at a level that allows Indiana to be competitive with neighboring states. |
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Information provided by
The Association of Indiana Convention and Visitors Bureaus serves as a proactive and influential group dedicated to the profession of destination marketing and leadership within the state of Indiana.
The AICVB is the trade association that advocates for tourism investment and promotion as economic development in the state. The association provides programs that emphasize high standards in tourism bureau operations, professional development, and government and community relations. Through these programs, the AICVB enhances tourism industry development and the quality of life for both visitors and residents. |
