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Indiana to use federal pandemic relief money to raise tourism profile

(95.3 MNC)

Indiana plans to use federal pandemic relief money to raise its tourism profile.

President Biden’s relief bill included a half-billion dollars to help the travel and tourism industry bounce back. Indiana’s share is five-and-a-half-million, and the state plans the kind of tourism marketing campaign it’s long talked about but never done.

Indiana Destination Development Secretary Elaine Bedel says it’s not that people have a negative image of Indiana — the agency’s focus groups indicate people don’t have an image of the state at all. She says that’s an obstacle to attracting skilled workers who want to know why they should move to the state.

The state had been working with a marketing agency on developing the messaging for an ad campaign. The American Rescue Plan money would expand the ability to spread that message.

The relief bill allows states to spend the tourism dollars on infrastructure, job training, marketing or economic development planning. Bedel says a committee of stakeholders concluded putting the money into marketing would make the biggest impact, elevating Indiana’s entire range of tourist attractions from state parks to museums.

The Department of Commerce needs to approve the plan — that decision’s expected in a few weeks. Assuming the department gives the green light, Bedel says a new campaign could debut early next year.

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3 comments

Thor October 30, 2021 at 5:33 am

Money taken from my wallet is then presented to me as money for my benefit after it has been washed through federal and state bureaucracies and seems not nearly as much as they took…not nearly as much as they pay for their bloated existence.

This is nothing but fiscal naval staring. Glad we got ‘something’ back; sad we paid it out to start with.

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Slacker06 October 31, 2021 at 12:44 pm

It is also malfeasance on a grand scale. Holcomb should be in jail for money laundering.

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Charles U Farley November 1, 2021 at 10:25 am

The entire Federal grant system needs to be scrapped. They take the money from the citizens of state and local governments via taxes, then hand that money back with severe strings attached. It is a 10th Amendment violation.

Look at the idiocy the moron Democrats running St Joseph County just agreed to in order to get that “free” healthcare money (that was taken from their residents in the first place)…

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