MEETINGS MEAN BUSINESS

One in eight Americans works in the travel industry. Meetings Mean Business is a grassroots campaign whose goal is to protect the millions of American jobs that depend on business meetings and events. View the ad here, learn more here or visit the website www.meetingsmeanbusiness.com

HOWARD COUNTY TOURISM COUNCIL
IMPORTANT LEGISLATIVE ALERT

MARYLAND OFFICE OF TOURISM, FILM AND THE ARTS BUDGET HEARINGS

This week the Maryland Office of Tourism, Film and the Arts Budget hearings will take place in both the Senate and the House of Delegates. The Governor’s budget recommends the mandated $6 million dollars for the Maryland Tourism Development Board’s marketing and advertising budget, however, in order to make the budget balance, the Budget Reconciliation act reduces that budget to $4.9m. This reduction would bring the budget down to what it was over 8 years ago.

Please take a moment to e-mail / call / write the Howard County Delegation about how important tourism marketing is to Howard County’s economy (contact information below.)

In your email, address all Senators as “Senator…”, and all Delegates as “Delegate…” Talk about your own business…how many employees, how much you spend on marketing and advertising, make it personal to you. Always thank the legislators in advance for taking the time to consider your request. If you send an e-mail in the subject line write something like “In Support of Maryland Office of Tourism, Film and the Arts Budget.”

Please note that Senator James Robey and Delegate Guy Guzzone are ex-officios on the Howard County Tourism Council’s Board of Directors. Delegate Gail Bates is a former ex-officio member of Howard County Tourism Council’s Board of Directors. Please thank them all for their continued support of our Tourism industry, they understand well the importance of Tourism. We truly are fortunate in Howard County that our Delegation supports Tourism.

FAST FACTS:

Below are the most recent (2006) and available statistics from the Maryland Office of Tourism Development for HOWARD COUNTY:

• Tourism generated $528.72 million in expenditures from domestic visitors
• Tourism industry generated over 8,000 jobs
• Tourism generated $16.1 million in County tax receipts

TALKING POINTS:

Tourism generated over $13.6 billion in spending by more than 27 million visitors. These visitors generated $1.7 billion in State and local taxes.

Tourism outperformed all other sales and use taxes by more than 50%, growing at a rate of 13% while other taxes grew at a rate of 8.6%, making tourism a great investment for the State.

Tourism employs more than 140,000 people.

All tourism businesses market their business; the counties market tourism to their county, but we need the State to market the entire state to potential business and leisure travelers.

Pennsylvania and Virginia outspend Maryland’s media buy by 60 to 100%. We can’t afford to reduce spending. All marketing text books say you don’t cut marketing in difficult times…you increase it.

Click here for sample testimony.

HOWARD COUNTY DELEGATION

DISTRICT 9
Sen. Allan H. Kittleman (R), District 9
James Senate Office Building, Room 420
11 Bladen St., Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 841-3671
e-mail: allan.kittleman@senate.state.md.us

Del. Gail H. Bates (R), District 9A
House Office Building, Room 202
6 Bladen St., Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 841-3556
e-mail: gail.bates@house.state.md.us

Del. Warren E. Miller (R), District 9A
House Office Building, Room 202
6 Bladen St., Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 841-3582
e-mail: warren.miller@house.state.md.us

DISTRICT 12
Sen. Edward J. Kasemeyer (D), District 12
Miller Senate Office Building, 3 West Wing
11 Bladen St., Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 841-3653
e-mail: edward.kasemeyer@senate.state.md.us

Del. Steven J. DeBoy, Sr. (D), District 12A
House Office Building, Room 306
6 Bladen St., Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 841-3328
e-mail: steven.deboy@house.state.md.us

Del. James E. Malone, Jr. (D), District 12A
House Office Building, Room 251
6 Bladen St., Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 841-3378
e-mail: james.malone@house.state.md.us

Del. Elizabeth Bobo (D), District 12B
House Office Building, Room 214
6 Bladen St., Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 841-3205
e-mail: elizabeth.bobo@house.state.md.us

DISTRICT 13
Sen. James N. Robey (D), District 13
James Senate Office Building, Room 120
11 Bladen St., Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 841-3572
e-mail: james.robey@senate.state.md.us

Del. Shane E. Pendergrass (D), District 13
House Office Building, Room 241
6 Bladen St., Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 841-3139
e-mail: shane.pendergrass@house.state.md.us

Del. Guy Guzzone (D), District 13
House Office Building, Room 206
6 Bladen St., Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 841-3471
e-mail: guy.guzzone@house.state.md.us

Del. Frank S. Turner (D), District 13
House Office Building, Room 206
6 Bladen St., Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 841-3246
e-mail: frank.turner@house.state.md.us