Nebraska isn’t known as the highlight of a US tour of the country. It’s looking to change that image now and asking for funding from the state’s budget to do so. Nebraska’s tourism chief, John Dicks, said that they are aware the the state needs more marketing to drive visits and is looking to use the money to change Nebraska’s image. This year’s tourism review found Nebraska in last place as a go to area for vacationing.
Key Takeaways:
- Nebraska’s tourism board is requesting $500000 to help look for ways to break their “flyover” status and increase the year tourist numbers.
- The commission is seeking permission to access an additional $500,000 annually from a cash fund generated by the state’s one percent lodging tax, which is imposed on hotels to help promote tourism.
- The commission launched television and billboard ads in various local regional markets, and saw an uptick in web traffic and requests for visitor’s guides from those areas.
“Nebraska has fallen behind most other states in its efforts to attract out-of-state tourists and placed last in a recent national ranking of locations people would like to visit, according to a state’s tourism commission report.”