Ohio committee hears case for bigger tourism marketing budget; America250 outlines statewide trails and events

The Arts, Athletics and Tourism Committee on its first convening heard TourismOhio officials, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and the America250 Ohio Commission make the economic case for expanding tourism marketing and described programs to showcase Ohio to visitors and potential new residents.

TourismOhio communications and marketing chief Sarah Wickham told the committee that "When people visit Ohio, they love it. We love it. They love it," and presented statewide economic figures to underline the argument. She said tourism generated $56,000,000,000 in visitor spending in 2023, supported 436,000 jobs and produced $4,600,000,000 in state and local tax revenue. Wickham described marketing results from 2023: TourismOhio spent $3,300,000 on advertising, of which $2,100,000 was in-state (which she said generated 228,000 incremental trips and $54,000,000 in visitor spending) and $1,200,000 was spent out of state (generating 475,000 incremental trips and $163,000,000 in visitor spending).

Wickham said the agency prioritizes out-of-state markets where Ohio has a competitive advantage and uses data-driven, digital-targeted advertising. She emphasized cooperative work…