How much tax would you owe to the State of Iowa without tourism dollars?
Chelsea Lerud of Iowa Travel Industry Partners (iTIP) asked this question of area business owners and community members …
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How much tax would you owe to the State of Iowa without tourism dollars?
Chelsea Lerud of Iowa Travel Industry Partners (iTIP) asked this question of area business owners and community members Wednesday, Nov. 8, at the Kalona Area Chamber of Commerce Business Lunch held at the Kalona Historical Village. Guesses ranged from $500 to $3,000; eventually Lerud revealed the answer: $847.
Assuming most of us would like to keep that $847 in our pockets rather than surrender it to the state, we all have motivation to encourage tourism in the state and in our local area. When asked what exactly counts as tourism, Lerud explained there are two criteria: traveling more than 50 miles from home and staying in the area for more than two hours.
ITIP is a private nonprofit that focuses on supporting its partners; the Kalona Historical Village is a partner, for example.
“My job is to support our partners in the work that they’re doing so they can be more successful,” Lerud explained. “We know many of our partners are small teams, small resources, and they can’t do it all. I can kind of fill in some of those gaps for them.”
The organization facilitates collaboration among partners and provides assistance with development, resources, education, advocacy, and marketing.
Lerud provided lots of interesting statistics to the group, including Iowa’s ranking of 42 when it comes to tourism marketing spent dollars, and “only 45 states report their numbers, so we are three from the bottom. We want to make sure we do what we can to grow that.”
Many Kalona-area businesses depend on tourism in order to thrive, so the topic of this business lunch was especially appreciated. Lerud left attendees with this directive:
“My challenge to all of you today is to become a champion for your local tourism assets. Share about the gems that are right here in your own backyard with your family and your friends that maybe aren’t aware. Encourage them to go visit and help spread the word about the gems that you have here in your backyard.”
Apt advice, especially if we’d rather not a tax increase.
