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Visit Dubois County presents $740,000 2027 budget as tourism report shows $131.2 million in visitor spending
Summary
Tourism Executive Director Whitney Lubbers reviewed 2024 impact data showing $131.2 million in visitor spending and proposed a $740,000 2027 budget; she warned county must update Tourism Commission appointments to comply with House Bill 1210 and Ordinance 2026-09, including adding city executive appointees and addressing partisan-majority limits.
Tourism Executive Director Whitney Lubbers presented the Dubois County Tourism Commission’s 2024 report and a proposed $740,000 budget for 2027. She told the Council that 2024 visitor spending totaled $131.2 million, with $55.5 million retained locally and 1,316 traveler-supported jobs. "If tourism did not exist, each Dubois County household would have to pay an additional $725 per year," Lubbers said.
Lubbers also flagged a governance change required by House Bill 1210 that requires a member appointed by the city executive of each city in the county; she said the City of Huntingburg currently lacks a representative. She noted that the Board of Commissioners adopted Ordinance 2026-09 to amend previous ordinances governing the Tourism Commission and that the commission’s party affiliations currently exceed the single-majority restriction in the new ordinance, which "needs to be adjusted," she said. Lubbers said she will guide the conversion of appointments to comply.
The presentation included Rockport Analytics data showing a 6.3% increase in tourism in 2024 and a three‑year increase of 30.7%. Council members did not take immediate action on appointments at this meeting; the tourism budget and appointment changes will move through the appropriate county processes and related meetings.
