Maryland Tourism, Film and the Arts Insights

TFA NEWS IN BRIEF

Governor Hogan Invests in Tourism and the Arts

Governor Larry Hogan released the FY 2019 budget proposal showing continued support for tourism and the arts while responsibly holding the line on spending without raising taxes, cutting services, or raiding special funds. The Governor proposed an increase of $1 million to raise the Maryland Tourism Development Board allocation to $9.25 million in General Funds and for the Office of Tourism Development (OTD)$3.575 million in General Funds. The Governor’s FY 2019 budget also includes $20.7 million for the Maryland State Arts Council, which provides grants, technical assistance, and other support services for the arts. The Governor’s budget process is not complete until April 7, 2018 when the legislative session comes to a close. The budget will be reviewed by the House Education and Economic Development Subcommittee on March 1 at 1:00 p.m. and by the Senate Education, Business and Administration Subcommittee on March 2 at 11:30 a.m. To read about Governor Hogan’s proposed Fiscal Year 2019 budget, please click here.

Frederick Douglass Bicentennial

This year, the state of Maryland is leading the celebration and commemoration of Frederick Douglass’ 200th birthday. Tourism partners across the state are working to establish Maryland—the place Douglass always considered home—as the best place to discover Douglass’ inspirational life and legacy with long-term visitor-ready sites, products, and experiences, as well as programs and special events. It is not too late for you to participate—we are celebrating all year! Please see the Maryland Office of Tourism Development’s Industry website http://industry.visitmaryland.org/tourism-development/product-development/established-programs/frederick-douglass-bicentennial/ for more information about how your site and/or business can participate, or contact Heather Ersts, Partnership and Outreach Manager at heather.ersts@maryland.gov.

Photo provided by the Banneker Douglass Museum.

OTD and Industry Partners Attend ABA Marketplace 2018

Liz Fitzsimmons, Managing Director, TFA, and Rich Gilbert, Travel Trade Sales Manager, OTD, joined representatives from the Maryland tourism industry in attending the 2018 American Bus Association (ABA) Marketplace in Charlotte, NC. The ABA represents more than 1,000 motorcoach and tour companies in the U.S. and Canada, and their annual marketplace is the premier trade event for the industry. Bus and group tourism is an important revenue stream for Maryland, and the annual marketplace is a great opportunity for Maryland businesses and OTD to meet one-on-one with tour providers from across the nation. Previous ABA marketplaces have provided solid returns in booked tours, thanks in part to innovative programs like Maryland Made Easy, which was developed by Gilbert to provide packaged tour itineraries for group tour operators. Representatives from more than 50 Maryland partners were on hand to promote their destinations, attractions, hotels and dining facilities, and Gilbert expects strong bookings and activity in the weeks and months following ABA.

Pictured: Maryland tourism industry partners at the 2018 ABA Marketplace

Tourism and Arts Supporters to Gather in Annapolis

Maryland Tourism Day is scheduled for February 16 and Maryland Arts Day is scheduled for February 22. Maryland Tourism Day is sponsored by the Maryland Tourism Coalition and the Maryland Association of Destination Marketing Organizations, and provides an opportunity for tourism stakeholders to meet with their representatives to discuss the importance of tourism to the Maryland economy. For more information, visit the Maryland Tourism Coalition’s website.

Produced by Maryland Citizens for the Arts, Maryland Arts Day brings stakeholders together with lawmakers to provide an opportunity for dialogue on the importance of arts and arts funding to Maryland. For more information and registration, follow this link to mdarts.org.

Photo by Matt McKinney.

Join Us for a Network to Freedom Nomination Workshop

The Maryland Office of Tourism and the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program are hosting workshops during the spring of 2018 on how to write a successful Network to Freedom nomination. This is an opportunity to promote Underground Railroad sites in your county through the Maryland Office of Tourism. Workshops are scheduled for Wednesday, January 31 from 1 – 4 p.m. in Easton, Wednesday, February 21 in Baltimore, and Wednesday, March 21 in Hughesville.

At the workshops, you can learn about the Network to Freedom and benefits of membership, receive instruction on how to write a successful nomination for your site, program or facility, and learn how to use archival collections to uncover Underground Railroad stories. There will be ample time to ask research experts questions and get support in developing your own site nomination.

Become part of the network of Underground Railroad sites in Maryland in time for OTD's enhanced marketing and promotion. By early 2019, we will launch an Underground Railroad web page with a new video that highlights Maryland's unique Underground Railroad stories. The web page will include an interactive map featuring all Network to Freedom sites, programs and facilities in Maryland open to the public.

With renewed interest in the Underground Railroad, this is an opportune time to get your sites included in the Network to Freedom and promoted by the Maryland Office of Tourism. We have a goal of 20 new sites by 2020. This will keep Maryland’s prominent place as the best Underground Railroad story-telling destination. RSVP here, or contact Anne Kyle (anne.kyle@maryland.gov or 410 767-0696).

Additional workshops will be offered in Western Maryland. Stay tuned for more information.

Travel Industry Launches Coalition to Increase Travel to U.S.

On Jan. 16, the U.S. Travel Association announced the launch of the Visit U.S. Coalition. Representing a broad cross-section of industries that have come together to address the decrease in international travelers to the U.S. and resulting opportunity cost to the U.S. economy and jobs.

“America is the best country in the world to visit, but we’re losing the competition for international travelers and the dollars they spend when they come here,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association.

Research prepared for Visit U.S. by the USTA shows that while global travel volume increased 7.9 percent from 2015 to 2017, the U.S. segment fell from 13.6 percent to 11.9 percent in the same period – the first drop after more than a decade of consistent growth.

In the coming weeks, Visit U.S. will advance policy recommendations that support its shared objectives with the White House. For more information on the Visit U.S. Coalition, go here.

Dine Out During Maryland's Winter Restaurant Weeks

It’s a great time to be a foodie, with lots of great restaurant weeks on the menu for January and February. Enjoy seasonal specials, prix fixe menu options, good times with friends and selections from amazing Maryland chefs. Follow these links to food weeks in Baltimore County, through Feb 3; Howard County, through Feb 5; Montgomery County, through Feb 7; National Harbor, Feb 4-10; Calvert County, Feb 16-25; Havre de Grace, Feb 20-26; and, Annapolis, Feb 25-March 3.

The November Maryland Tourism Monitor is Here

The latest Maryland Tourism Monitor shows a nearly 20 percent rise in Visitor Center attendance and strong growth in social media followers correlating with an 18.1 percent increase in digital referrals to our industry partners’ web sites. Employment in the tourism industry is up as well with a 2.1 percent increase in tourism jobs year-over-year. Strong employment numbers were reflected with a 3.3 percent rise in revenue from all tourism tax categories to $208.5 million for FY 2018 through November. For the full November Maryland Tourism Monitor, follow this link.

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