February 22: Learn Five Ways to Defend Your Tourism Budget

The U.S. Travel Association is introducing a new webinar series, “Research POV,” aimed at communicating the latest trends, economic data and research tools to our members to help them navigate challenges in their travel businesses.

The first installment in this series will debut on Thursday, February 22—and it’s all about helping states and destinations defend their tourism promotion budgets in the face of increasing scrutiny from some policymakers.

Tourism organizations from Florida to Alaska to Sonoma County have faced misguided skepticism from local lawmakers, who are often unaware of the powerful return on investment from efforts to attract more visitors to a state or destination. Sign up for “Resources to Help Defend Your Budget,” and arm yourself with powerful strategies to communicate the importance of travel to your local legislatures and other stakeholders.

During this webinar, I will guide viewers through:

• How to use existing resources in the Power of Travel Promotion Toolkit, as well as what we’re doing to enhance the report in 2018;
• An overview the Travel Economic Impact Calculator, a new interactive tool from U.S. Travel that shows the impact of any change in travel spending on a state’s economy; 
• Key resources outlining the economic impact of travel in the U.S., as well as fact sheets and interactive data available on ustravel.org;
• Highlights from a new report on tax revenue generated by lodging businesses, commissioned by U.S. Travel’s Destinations Council and conducted by Civitas;
• Examples of the most effective ways to garner support from legislatures, and demonstrate to elected officials why tourism promotion is worth continual investment.

WHAT:

“Resources to Help Defend Your Budget” webinar

WHEN:

Thursday, February 22, 2018

2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Eastern

SIGN UP: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7681252391490295041

U.S. Travel is dedicated to helping its destination members preserve their funding, and continue to help their communities grow and thrive through increased visitation and spending. Register before 2:00 p.m. Eastern on February 22^nd to reserve your spot in this valuable educational webinar.

Got questions? Email research@ustravel.org.