VISITORS BUREAU OFFERS REPORT, FISCAL PROPOSAL

The Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau has submitted its annual report and a six-month budget proposal to the Cape Girardeau City Council.

"This has been a great year for the CVB," said Lyn Muzzy, its director. "We have exceeded all expectations of what I thought we could handle in 1991. The total economic impact for conventions, meetings, and group tours serviced by the CVB in Cape Girardeau is about $6.8 million, and we still have some events left in 1991."

Muzzy made his remarks during a noon meeting Monday of the CVB, the CVB Advisory Committee, and council members.

Also discussed during the two-hour session was the council's recent decision to solicit proposals for use of the city's convention and tourism funds, which are generated from a 3 percent gross-receipts tax on hotel and motel rooms and a 1 percent levy on restaurant sales.

The economic impact report includes a couple of projections for the rest of the year, said Muzzy, "but it does not include all of the events scheduled throughout November and December."

The report includes 1991 figures for conventions, events, and group tours:

Conventions and meetings, 41, with 12,433 delegates. Total economic impact, $1,773,816.

Events, festivals, tournaments, 57, with total attendance of 247,942. Economic impact, $4,710,898.

Group tours, 115 serviced, 5,297 passengers. Economic impact, $393,286.

Total economic impact, $6,879,000.

"These figures are based on conventions, meetings and tours that the CVB serviced," said Muzzy. "The CVB supplies and packs information bags, free of charge, for tour groups and conventions in the area. We packed and distributed 11,725 of these bags this year."

Muzzy said the bureau had sent more than 2,122 "EsCape to Cape" information packets to people who requested travel information for the area from various advertisements throughout the year.

Muzzy also reported on the new brochure racks that were established in 1991.

"There are 30 racks around the Cape area," he said. "Each rack holds about 25 different brochures, and they are heavily used."

Muzzy, who attends several travel group and association shows, said the interest in Missouri has increased recently because of the new country-western music development in Branson.

"Branson is exploding, and this is good news for people throughout Missouri, including Cape Girardeau," said Muzzy. "Branson, which is attracting some big-name stars like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, the Gatlin Brothers, Andy Williams and others, will attract many visitors to Missouri, and many of those visitors will be passing through the Cape Girardeau area in route to the Branson area."

The CVB's half-year budget proposal is for $150,300, which is less than half of the 1991 annual budget of $318,525. The CVB budget year has been running from January through December, and the six-month budget was proposed to bring the CVB in line with the city's July to June fiscal year.

The budget will be among items discussed by the council in early December, when the council also discusses the use of convention and tourism tax funds.

Voters in 1983 approved the tax, which went into effect in January 1984. Since the fund's inception, revenue has been used almost exclusively to fund the Convention and Visitors Bureau and to retire the debt on a $5 million bond issue used to fund construction of the Show Me Center.

Councilman David Barklage recently proposed that it was time for the city to look at possibilities of other uses for the funds.

"The Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Chamber of Commerce have done an excellent job," he told the group Monday. "But before we get into next year's budget, we need to define the issues and look as a community at what we're doing with the money."

The council will consider various proposals and issues before deciding on what direction to take in allocating the funds.

Although one of the options could be that the CVB not be funded, Mayor Gene Rhodes said he didn't think that would happen.

"To do away with the CVB now would mean that we have wasted a million dollars over the past few years," he said. "The city needs the CVB, and I'm certainly not in favor of doing away with it."

Among proposals that are expected to be discussed when the council takes up the tourism funds issue are those of establishing a sports center, funding an economic development department, and using funds for a project involving St. Vincent's Seminary.