State Tourism Chief Pleased With Budget Increase

The State Tourism Division, which has been doing more with less as a result of budget cuts, is getting some good news. A proposed increase in the tourism budget would add one-million dollars to the Division’s coffers for the current fiscal year and more than $4.5 for the 2007 fiscal year. Tourism Director John Robinson says much of this additional money will be spent on advertising. He adds people are deciding their vacation plans on a much shorter turnaround schedule than they did in the past, so the bulk of the advertising bought will probably be seen later than it had in the past. Robinson says for every one-dollar the state spends on marketing tourism, $55 is returned in tourism expenditures.