State tourism cuts could mean reduced CVB ad budget

The state of Missouri's budget issues could once again be hitting the tourism industry.

A joint conference committee of the Missouri House of Representatives and Senate approved $13.9 million in appropriations for the Missouri Division of Tourism for fiscal 2011, which begins July 1. The total is 32 percent less than the $20.5 million recommended by Gov. Jay Nixon in January, and 43 percent less than the $24.2 million appropriated for fiscal 2010.

The impact of significant state-level tourism cuts would likely trickle down to the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau. The local CVB receives $580,000 each year from the state as part of a matching advertising grant program. While it's unclear how much of the state's proposed cuts would come from that program, CVB spokeswoman Susan Wade said any decrease in funding would be a bad idea for the state's coffers.

"Our frustration with it is that we know tourism is a revenue generator, so when you cut that promotion you cut the number of people visiting and spending their dollars here," Wade said. "The ultimate outcome is that it further hurts the state economy."

The tourism industry as a whole seems to have been targeted by some legislators in the midst of the state's budget woes – at one point in the process of crafting the appropriations bill, an amendment was made to eliminate the department entirely. That measure was soundly defeated.

Wade said that while she thinks most legislators understand the importance and value of her industry, she also knows tourism - like most other industries in the state - was not likely to go unscathed.

"When we talk to legislators, they seem to be very aware of the value of tourism - that it is a revenue generator," she said. "But they've been faced with some really tough choices, and I think they're trying to do what they think is right. They're trying to keep as many programs funded and intact as they can."