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Tourism and arts advocates press committee to reinvest meals‑and‑beverage revenue into hospitality and marketing
Summary
Representatives from the restaurant, convention and arts sectors urged the Commerce Committee to direct a portion of Connecticut’s meals‑and‑beverage tax revenue toward tourism marketing, local grants and workforce development, arguing that an inheritance of state funding cuts has weakened marketing at a time of aggressive regional competition.
Hartford — Restaurant groups, the state convention and sports bureau and arts organizations urged the Commerce Committee during the Feb. 27 hearing to restore and dedicate state funding to tourism marketing and hospitality workforce development.
Scott Dolch, president and CEO of the Connecticut Restaurant Association, told the panel that the 1% meals‑and‑beverage tax increase enacted in 2019 has generated more than $415 million for the state since it was added. "Rather than another study," he said, "consider using the 1% meals and beverage tax to create a Connecticut hospitality fund to return resources to municipalities, support the Office of Tourism and underwrite workforce training."
Robert Murdoch of CT Meetings — the statewide meetings and sports sales organization — testified that the office of tourism’s statewide marketing budget has fallen in recent years and that the group’s work to secure conferences and sporting events for Connecticut depends on a stable, funded statewide marketing effort. "In 2024 we helped secure more than 260 events," Murdoch said, adding that those gatherings generated an estimated $72.7 million in local sales revenue for hotels, restaurants and attractions.
Arts and culture leaders placed the request in broader economic terms. "The creative sector drives $12.7 billion in output and supports roughly 55,000 jobs in Connecticut," said Rufus Duran of the Connecticut Arts Alliance. Regional arts leaders urged the committee to include designated regional service organizations, the Office of Tourism and cultural practitioners when designing a study or a funding structure to distribute tourism revenues.
What’s next: Several members signaled interest in exploring targeted reinvestment of incremental meals tax revenue for tourism marketing and local hospitality grants, but they also said they would need to coordinate with Appropriations on any proposal that changes how the revenue flows. Proponents emphasized that dedicated funding, rather than a study, would give Connecticut a better chance to retain visitors and compete with neighboring states that spend more on tourism marketing.
