Tourism division moves to county-based grant application process

The new strategy – adopted by the Missouri Tourism Commission in June to more effectively market regional tourism – involves destination marketing organizations, or DMOs. The state required interested counties to select a DMO by Nov. 1, with chambers of commerce and convention and visitors bureaus stepping into the role in many cases.

The Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau, for example, was named the DMO for Greene, Christian and Polk counties, said CVB spokeswoman Susan Wade. County commissions in all three counties approved resolutions required by the state Division of Tourism.

“It’s still in the works … but we’re looking at things like adding to our print visitor’s guide a section on Polk County and a section on Christian County,” Wade said.

Tourism attractions in those counties also may be added to the Springfield CVB’s Web site, www.springfieldmo.org, and in press kits for travel writers distributed by the bureau, she added.

The joint marketing approach also is occurring in other parts of the state, said Becky Heeren, cooperative marketing officer for the Division of Tourism. Camden, Miller and Morgan counties have joined forces to market Lake of the Ozarks, and Kansas City has teamed up with neighboring Clay County, she said.

“I think it’s a good change,” Heeren said. “Our various marketing organizations, especially when you had more than one in a destination, were sending out mixed messages. And this gives us an opportunity to have one voice … that will support the regional approach.”

Under the new model, certified DMOs will apply for 50-50 matching grants from the Division of Tourism. Previously, each agency or organization promoting tourism individually applied for the funds, which were typically tied to a single destination.

Grant application deadlines for DMOs representing larger tourism areas are in January and March, while smaller destinations have deadlines in April and September, Heeren said.

Funding for each DMO is figured through a formula based on the number of available hotel rooms in the county or counties and 17 tourism tax codes established by the Missouri Department of Revenue, Heeren said.

Grants range from $2,500 for smaller destinations to $600,000 for some of the state’s largest destination marketing efforts, Heeren said, adding, “There’s quite a range in the amount of tourism expenditures from county to county.”

Most applicants will receive at least some funding, although Heeren noted there’s the possibility that a DMO might fail to score high enough or that the state would receive requests for more money than is available in a given funding cycle.

Branson’s team effort

Commissioners in Taney and Stone counties selected their chambers – Branson/Tri-Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and the Table Rock Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, respectively – to serve as DMOs under the Division of Tourism’s revamped cooperative marketing program.

Under the new setup, Taney County will be eligible for an additional $200,000 in tourism marketing grant money in fiscal 2009, said Dan Lennon, a Branson/Tri-Lakes chamber spokesman. And while the county-based system has opened the door to more funding, it does have some drawbacks, he said.

Odd man out

Two other DMOs in Branson that have previously received money from the Division of Tourism – the Downtown Branson Main Street Association and Veterans Task Force – no longer have a direct-funding mechanism through the state to market their events and attractions, Lennon said.

“What I didn’t like about it was they were effectively disenfranchised by having one DMO in the county,” he said. “But this isn’t something we cooked up. It’s a statewide deal. We didn’t know about it until it was a done deal, and they said, ‘Here’s the new rules for ’09.’”

But the changes have taken effect, and Lennon said the chamber plans to work closely with the DBMA to achieve the group’s marketing goals through its Web site and promotional materials.

“We include the downtown in everything we do,” he said. “We consider that a really important part of the Branson traditional appeal.”

Tourism Revamp

What: State tourism division changes the way it handles grant applications for cooperative marketing dollars by requiring counties to select destination marketing organizations that will apply for the funds.

So what: Some counties have selected the same DMO in hopes of receiving more grant money for regional marketing efforts.

What’s next: The state will certify a list of DMOs that are expected to begin submitting grant applications early next year for marketing efforts in fiscal 2009.