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Tourism director presents 2022 metrics, new capital-improvement grant and $685,000 budget proposal for 2025
Summary
Whitney Lubbers, Executive Director of Dubois County Tourism, presented 2022 tourism figures (visitor spending $117 million, per-capita tourism sales $2,687.86), introduced a competitive 1:1 Tourism Capital Improvement Fund ($10,000–$75,000 grants) due Sept. 2024, and proposed a 2025 tourism budget of $685,000.
Whitney Lubbers, Executive Director of the Dubois County Tourism Commission, presented the commissions 2022 tourism report card and a proposed 2025 budget at the council meeting on July 29.
Lubbers said visitor spending in 2022 was $117 million and tourism sales per capita were $2,687.86, with the county ranking 14th of 92 for sales per capita and 25th for total visitor spending. She introduced a new Tourism Capital Improvement Fund that opened July 1, 2024: a competitive 1:1 matching grant program with awards between $10,000 and $75,000 for projects that have significant tourism impact; all entities are eligible to apply with preference for larger-scale projects. Lubbers presented a proposed 2025 tourism budget of $685,000.
The fund application deadline was identified as September 2024; the council received the presentation and will consider the tourism budget during the county budget review process.
Why it matters: local tourism revenue figures and a new capital-improvement grant can affect destination marketing, event planning and local business investment in tourism-related infrastructure.
Next steps: council members will review the tourism budget in advance of the Aug. 12 budget review meeting and the capital-improvement fund will begin accepting applications through September 2024.
