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York Visits with
Local Legislators in Support of Tourism
COLUMBUS – Executive Director, Deanna York with the Darke County
Visitors Bureau joined fellow members of Ohio Association of Convention
and Visitors Bureaus (OACVB), Ohio Travel Association (OTA) and Ohio
Hotel Lodging Association (OHLA) as they visited State Legislators on
Wednesday, March 16 to emphasize the importance of tourism. York was
one of approximately 100 tourism leaders to visit State Senators and
Representatives in Columbus. She visited with Rep. Dick Adams, Rep. Jim
Buchy and Joe Otte, legislative aide to Keith Faber.
“It was a privilege to meet with our state leaders and share with them
what tourism means to Darke County, as well as the entire state,”
shared York. “We discussed the local jobs created by tourism as well as
the how the Darke County Visitors Bureau and other visitor bureaus use
the lodging tax to encourage visitors to come to our community to shop,
play and stay.”
According to Longwood International, for every tourism advertising
dollar spent on promoting tourism in Ohio, there is a $13 return. That
return on investment is what can help generate the dollars needed to
feed the state budget and create more jobs. Phil Craig, executive
director of the OACVB states, “Jobs are the most important issue facing
Ohio today. By using the local lodging tax to market our communities we
are creating and retaining jobs right here in our
communities.”
Tourism accounts for 437,000 jobs in Ohio as visitors spend $36 billion
in Ohio with a $2.5 billion revenue impact for state and local
governments. In Darke County, the tourism industry sustained more than
1,426 local jobs, contributes more than $7.7 million in local taxes and
generated $57.6 million in sales for local businesses.
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