CONVENTION BUREAU FAVORS TOURISM BILL

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- The Cape Girardeau Convention & Visitors Bureau endorsed proposed Missouri Tourism funding legislation, House Bill 188, but tabled any action on riverboat gambling during its monthly meeting, held at city hall at Wednesday.

The Missouri Division of Tourism is urging the legislature to take some of the tax money generated by tourism and reinvest it to yield even more revenue.

"The plan is designed to increase the Division of Tourism budget without a tax increase," Bob Hendrix, president of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, explained to the CVB board. "The plan is based on the assumption that the tax revenue generated by traveler-serving businesses will grow by at least 3.5 percent a year."

The tourism department is asking that 25 percent of the increase each year be placed in the Division of Tourism budget, which will result in an annual budget of $20 million by the year 2001, more than doubling the current budget.

CVB advisory board members discussed the riverboat gambling issue only briefly.

"At this time, we don't have enough information concerning the issue to make any endorsements," said member Walt Wildman. "I think we should wait and let the voters decide on it first."

Cape Girardeau voters will go to the polls June 8 to decide on the riverboat issue.

Dennis "Doc" Cain was attending his first CVB meeting. Cain, who owns the Port Cape Girardeau Restaurant, with locations at 19 N. Water Street and the West Park Mall, was recently appointed to replace Pete Poe, whose term had expired.

In other business, a report prepared by CVB staff members Lyn Muzzy, Cathy Crites and Mary Stucker was presented to the board. According to the report, 1992 was the best tourism year since 1987.

A total of 56 conventions and meetings were held in Cape Girardeau during 1992, with a total of 18,424 delegates, resulting in an economic impact of $2.6 million for conventions and meetings, according to the report.

"We served a total of 137 tours during the year, with a total of 6,165 passengers," said Crites. The economic impact was $457,751.

A total of 60 events, festivals and tournaments were served by the CVB. Total attendance at the events was 343,282, with an economic impact of $6.4 million.

The total economic impact for conventions, events and group tours serviced by the CVB in 1992 was $9.6 million, said Crites. The economic impact is figured on multipliers provided by the National Tour Associations and International Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus.

"These figures are based only on activities serviced by the CVB," said Crites. "Any other functions held in Cape Girardeau are not reflected in this report."

Crites added that group inquiries were already being requested for 1993.

"Many groups have called for itineraries and services for 1993," she said. "To date, more than 120 tour groups have confirmed stops here for this year, and the majority of them are overnight." She added that many of the overnight tours were those with destinations to Branson.