Committed coverage
The Springfield News-Sun provides in-depth coverage about tourism and its economic effects, including recent stories on a possible hotel at the Clark County Fairgrounds.
Tourists and business travelers are spending more time in Clark County, part of a statewide trend that indicates the tourism business is slowly recovering after the Great Recession.
But figures from the Champaign County Auditor’s Office show Champaign County lodging tax revenues have dropped since 2010, bucking the larger trend.
Economic development experts in Clark County said the boost in tourism dollars is the result of many factors, ranging from an increased emphasis on marketing the county to increased business travel throughout the state.
In Clark County, lodging tax revenues have been steadily increasing since at least 2010, said Chad Yancey, finance director for the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau. The improving revenue, he said, is one indication that the economy as a whole is beginning to gain momentum.
In 2010, the county received about $670,000 in lodging tax revenues. That figure increased about six percent by 2011, to about $709,000. By 2012, that figure had increased another 8 percent, to about $764,000. Sites such as the Champions Center Exposition and Banquet Facility and the Konecranes Inc. training center in Springfield in particular are now helping draw overnight visitors to the region, Yancey said.
“The overall improvement in the economy has increased travel,” Yancey said. “The communities have to go out and fight for those dollars to come to their community.”
Tourism revenue in general has improved statewide, said Tamara Brown, a public relations manager for the Ohio Development Services Agency. The state raked in about $33.5 billion in sales in the tourism business in 2011, and about $36 billion in 2012. States like Ohio rely more on tourists from neighboring states or residents looking for a short getaway, Brown said, which helped it fare better in a tough economy.
“When people feel their wallets tighten up a little bit, that really benefits a state like Ohio,” Brown said.
Champaign County has not fared as well, according to figures provided by the Champaign County Auditor’s Office. Champaign County received about $21,500 in lodging tax revenues in 2010, but that figure dropped to about $20,700 in 2011 and $15,700 in 2012.
Officials in Champaign County said it’s difficult to determine why those revenues could be declining. Despite those figures, some local business owners said they have seen a boost in local tourism in the past year.
The Scioto Inn, a bed and breakfast just blocks from downtown Urbana, has seen business pick up in recent months, said owner Richard Colvin. Many customers are regional residents who just want to spend a relatively inexpensive night away from home, Colvin said.
In Clark County, the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau has placed a special emphasis on drawing visitors to the area, said Michael McDorman, president and CEO of the organization. Clark County has a much smaller budget than counties like Greene or Montgomery, he said, so the organization has had to work harder than its neighbors to compete. In the past, he said about 600 Springfield Visitors Guides were distributed at rest stops throughout the state.
But the travel guide was changed to make it more appealing to visitors, and 7,000 copies of the guides and now distributed annually. The visitors bureau constantly looks at how other communities market themselves, and is always looking for an edge, McDorman said.
“It’s very challenging to get people to view your community as a place to spend the night,” McDorman said.
In Clark County, events at the Champions Center help draw visitors from across the state and a global training center operated by Konecranes Inc. has helped draw thousands of guests to local hotels each year, Yancey said.
The Konecranes facility at Prime Ohio hosts training opportunities for employees from almost 40 states every year, said Joe Otten, director of training and development for Region Americas. The company provides service and maintenance for several varieties of cranes, port equipment and machine tools.
In August alone, the company hosted 112 employees for overnight stays during training workshops, said Kristie Krug, training coordinator for the company. Over the course of a year, she estimated more than 1,000 employees visit the site for training, often for several nights at a time. The company has developed close relationships with area hotels, as well as local restaurants and catering companies that serve employees, Otten said.
“A real key for us is we invest more in our training than anyone else in our industry,” Otten said.
The increase in revenues in Clark County shows the work the visitors bureau has done in recent years is paying off, although there’s always room for improvement, McDorman said.
“I think at one time it was a weak link in our community, and now it’s a bright spot,” McDorman said.
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