Tourism Efforts Draw More Visitors, Dollars to Ohio
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- In the auditorium of the Fellows Riverside Gardens above Lake Glacier, one of the most scenic sights in Ohio, Mary Cusick, director of TourismOhio, spoke glowingly of the many other scenic and historic sights and museums within the Buckeye State.
She was addressing Adventures in Northeast Ohio, a regional tourism marketing group, Tuesday afternoon.
The diversity of what Ohio offers is a big selling point for the tourism industry, she said, and Cusick used her time here to visit three of its most impressive venues -- Lanterman Falls, the DeYor Performing Arts Center and the Butler Institute of American Art.
Cusick took over as director of TourismOhio last December after more than 30 years of working in marketing and public relations for Bob Evans restaurants. Her position had been empty since June 2012.
The budget of her department has been locked in at $10 million, double what it was when her predecessor left and where it will remain five years before the state Legislature plans to adjust it, she told the tourism group.
Of her department’s efforts, Cusick said, “The branding work will be more emotive, more emotional. Brands are built over time, not overnight. … Understand that we're able to use those dollars” and not have to plead the case for renewal each year before the General Assembly.
She emphasized that both the number of tourists to Ohio and how much they spent while here has risen. Spending increased 4.2% to about $38 billion in 2013 while the number of visitors went to 195 million from 190 million in 2012. The number of tourists who stayed overnight held steady, 37 million, Cusick said.
Since the Great Recession ended, Cusick reported, tourism has rebounded from $30 billion a year in 2009. “When you take in all expenses related to it, it's about $38 billion, [today],” the tourism director told a member of Adventures in Northeast Ohio. “That's an amazing and important part of our economic recovery in Ohio and what we're doing to drive it.”
The tourism industry is responsible for about 400,000 jobs in Ohio, she added.
The state tourism department has launched various advertising campaigns. Last year's “Too Much Fun For Just One Day,” aimed at getting tourists to plan overnight trips while in to the state, will be expanded. Last year's advertisements were run only in May and June for want of funding.
“Those ads, because of the funding model, have not seen much of the light of day … There wasn't much money for a promotional schedule in order to support that advertising,” Cusick said.
Emphasis has been placed on overnight stays because tourists who spend a night here, whether at a hotel or with friends or family, spend more while here. People who visit ands leave the same day spend $110 on average, research by TourismOhio shows, while those who stay overnight spend $335.
The other campaign the TourismOhio will run is Discover Ohio To Go. Until June 9, McDonald's restaurants in Ohio will sell large drinks that have rewards and discounts for in-state tourist attractions such as Cedar Point and Ohio state parks.
The theme within the master plan to draw visitors is nostalgia, Cusick said.
“It's the experience more than the material things from that trip,” she explained. “There is a lot of opportunity there to tell the stories of Ohio that conjure up that imagery that really pulls on the heartstrings, that nostalgia that makes people want to come,” Cusick said. “
“We like to highlight those unique and differentiated experiences throughout the state and there are a number of those in northeast Ohio,” Cusick said.
Among them is the park system here, which she described as “an impressive aspect of visiting this area, the [DeYor] Performing Arts Center, the Butler Institute of American Art. There's a lot going on here that is unique, differentiated and one more reason for someone to visit Ohio,” Cusick said.
Copyright 2014 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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