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Convention and Visitors Bureau reports record visitor estimates, wins state award
Summary
The Kosciusko County Convention and Visitors Bureau reported roughly 1.2 million visitors in 2024, described marketing efforts and said its 2024 visitor guide won a statewide award.
Corey Humes, executive director of the Kosciusko County Convention and Visitors Bureau, reported the bureau’s 2024 activities and visitor metrics during the council meeting.
Humes said the county welcomed roughly 1,200,000 visitors in 2024 and cited an economic-impact figure provided by a state tourism study: $186,300,000 in visitor spending (attributed to a report the bureau receives annually). Humes said visitor-driven spending supported roughly 2,140 jobs and generated about $19,600,000 in tax revenue in the referenced report year.
Humes summarized marketing work that included digital campaigns, 65,000 printed brochures, physical maps (10,000 printed), a passport program that tracks check-ins across attractions, and a digital sign funded with ARPA money that displayed more than 200 messages last year. He said the bureau placed earned articles in outlets such as Midwest Living and Travel + Leisure and that the visitor guide won the Indiana Tourism Association award for best visitor guide in its marketing category.
The bureau uses tracking tools, Humes said, including a product he identified as "Place Our AI," which provides a heat map of visitor origins (noted as concentrated in the Indianapolis and Chicago areas). He said the bureau monitors QR-code scans in print advertising to measure return on investment and partners regionally with groups such as East Region Tourism and the Indiana Foodway Alliance.
Ending Humes asked the council to continue support for the bureau’s destination-marketing work, emphasizing visitor spending and outreach programs. He offered printed materials and an annual report packet for council review.
Speakers quoted - "In 2024, we welcomed roughly about 1,200,000 visitors to Kosciusko," Corey Humes.
What was not specified - The transcript attributes the economic-impact numbers to the bureau’s annual study but does not attach the study as evidence in the record; council members asked questions about tracking and collaboration but did not require formal action.
