JEFFERSON CITY — Recently, Sen. Mike Parson, R-Bolivar, announced the Missouri Division of Tourism has awarded $30,735 to the Lebanon: Laclede County Leisure Travel Marketing (LTM) Campaign to help fund qualified, performance-driven projects designed to increase visitation to Laclede County. The Lebanon: Laclede LTM Campaign will match each dollar of state funding with a dollar of local funds.
“I am so proud of all the hard work the members of this committee and the local officials have put into this campaign,” said Sen. Parson. “With this allotment, we are looking at an economic boost that will, no doubt, affect the entire county and will continue to drive tourism as a thriving industry in our own back yard.”
Tourism continues to rank as one of the most important revenue- and job-producing industries in Missouri, creating more than 285,000 jobs. Missouri’s six million residents welcome more than 38 million visitors annually. With a $14.6 billion economic impact, and a $1.3 billion impact on state and local tax revenues, tourism is a dynamic component of economic development. The travel industry has a broad footprint in Missouri because it is comprised of a diverse group of businesses found in every county in the state. The money that visitors spend while in Missouri produces business receipts at these firms, in turn, employing Missouri residents and paying their wages and salaries.
State and local government units benefit from travel, as well. The state government collects taxes on gross receipts of businesses operating in the state, as well as sales and use taxes levied on the sale of goods and services to travelers. Local governments also collect sales and use taxes generated from traveler purchases.
These matching funds may be used for media advertising, as well as investment in an approved tourism marketing platform designed to attract additional visitors and boost visitor spending in Missouri.
For more information on the Promote Missouri Fund Program, contact the Division of Tourism, Promote Missouri Fund Team at (573) 751-3246 or (573) 526-1551. |
