Missouri tourism industry sees boost from within

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- More people are choosing to drive to their vacation destinations this year, and state tourism officials have been urging Missourians to stay close to home.

Missouri has initiated the Rediscover Your Missouri Campaign, which touts the state's historical and cultural sites to Missourians. The events of Sept. 11 played a role in the state's decision to cater more to those Missourians wary of traveling far.

"What had typically happened is that Missouri tourism focused on inviting people to Missouri, which means our primary and secondary targets were media markets outside of Missouri," said John Robinson, the new director of the Missouri Division of Tourism. "After 9-11 and the slowdown in the economy, we saw some major shifts in travel. People were staying closer to home and people were driving more. It was after that that we decided to promote Missouri to Missourians."

With Missouri's central location, Missouri has seen the number of inquiries from people wanting to know more about Missouri double over a year ago. Overall, tourism inquiries are up 13 percent over last year.

While tourist season is far from over, state officials also point to some encouraging economic news. Last year, tourism spending totaled more than $7.54 billion and Missouri collected more than $617 million in taxes.

Despite the good economic news, Missouri's struggling budget had an impact on the Division of Tourism's ability to promote the state. The division's budget for this year is $15.2 million, down about $1 million from a year ago.

One dollar brings $60

Still, Robinson said tourism marketing produces results. For every $1 the state spends to market tourism, $60.36 is returned in tourism spending.

Robinson said St. Louis remains Missouri's top tourist destination, with Branson, Kansas City, the Lake of the Ozarks and Springfield also going strong.

"Certainly, a Missouri dollar spends just as well in Missouri as it does in Arkansas, Illinois or Florida," Robinson said.

While Robinson said tourism officials will likely reevaluate their marketing strategy over the next few months, the approach will remain the same.