State tourism team presents five‑year 'Team Tourism' roadmap to boost visitor economy

Presenter opened the session by saying the roadmap is intended to provide a five‑year guiding document for Rhode Island's visitor economy and highlighted recent economic figures: "visitor volume grew 2.2% to a record 28,400,000 persons in 2023," with a reported total economic impact of $8,300,000,000 and roughly $935,000,000 in state and local tax revenue.

The presenter described three core objectives for the plan — strengthening core offers, aligning tourism with statewide development plans, and securing a sustainable future — and said the process used a product inventory, Commerce research, a resident market perception survey (about 475 respondents) and input from roughly 70 stakeholders. The presenter said the plan will emphasize collaboration with cities and towns rather than imposing tourism policy top‑down.

Tourism expert Mark Broder framed the plan as a shift from traditional destination marketing toward destination management: "We're looking at assets and how we package Rhode Island so it can be competitive within the domestic market and global," he said, and outlined proposed uses of technology and regional asset integration. Broder highlighted specific implementation steps such as quarterly regional partner meetings and a forthcoming stewardship RFP to guide sustainability and transportation planning.

Board members praised the experiential focus but pressed for measurable goals. One member said the plan must clarify how success will be measured; the presenters committed to developing performance metrics and to quarterly reporting as the plan moves into implementation. The board did not take a formal vote on the plan itself; staff will return with contract details and next steps.