Aug 8, 2005

Here in Nebraska, we’re often too modest in talking about the many exciting opportunities available to visitors from around this state and others. The growth we’ve seen in travel and tourism during the past few decades is closely tied to efforts to get the word out about the many attractions, regional events and world-class amenities offered across the state.

Tourism goes hand in hand with our vision for economic development in Nebraska, and so I was very pleased to recently to announce a new program designed to provide matching grants for tourism related marketing projects to local and regional groups. This program will provide the significant boost our state tourism industry needs to continue growing.

Tourism is the third leading industry in Nebraska, and is responsible for creating and sustaining more than 43,000 jobs. It’s clear that our investment in tourism has paid off, not only for our state, but for local economies as well – but there’s more we can do.

One of Nebraska’s true success stories with regard to tourism was the signature event held last year to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Lewis and Clark’s journey across the U.S. Planning for this historic event began several years in advance and involved individuals and groups from across the state in hopes of attracting between 30,000 and 40,000 visitors. By any measure, that was an ambitious goal. Yet when the estimates on attendance for this four-day signature event were tallied, more than 60,000 individuals took part in Nebraska’s Lewis and Clark bicentennial commemoration – with 25,000 visitors attending on the very first day.

This event was one of the premiere Lewis and Clark signature events held so far, and the success of last year’s bicentennial is due in large part to efforts to promote the event.

In looking to continue our success in promoting the diverse opportunities already available to travelers, our goal is to work with the many local and regional groups that together have created a wide-range of attractions and events held in towns across Nebraska.

This past session, the Nebraska Legislature approved $350,000 in new spending for this year and $500,000 the following year as part of the mainline budget bill to support the matching grant program. This funding for tourism represents the first significant investment of general fund money dedicated for tourism marketing in Nebraska in recent memory.

Dollar-for-dollar matching grants will be awarded as part of the Tourism Advantage Matching Grant Program to help support marketing activities for attractions across the state. Grant funding can be used for development of Web sites and travel brochures, participation in travel and sports shows, and a wide range of advertising opportunities to name just a few.

Applications for matching grant funds will be accepted through Sept. 30, with the first cycle of grants to be announced by late October – in time to attract new visitors as individuals and families plan for next year’s travel season. Complete guidelines on how to apply for the Tourism Advantage Matching Grant Program are available on the Travel and Tourism Division’s Web site at http://www.visitnebraska.org.

Our goal is to help support the work of our local towns and rural attractions to draw new visitors, which will benefit all Nebraskans. These grants are another example of how Nebraska is partnering with local communities to help support economic development, by promoting the endless offerings available to visitors all across our great state.