Visitor bureau reports stronger year: $64.1M in visitor spending and rising overnight stays

Laura Carroll, executive director of Meet Ottumwa, presented the tourism agency’s fiscal-year results and marketing activities to the Ottumwa City Council.

"My name is Laura Carroll. I am the executive director of MITA TOMWA, the Greater TOMWA Convention and Visitors Bureau," Carroll said, outlining how the bureau markets Ottumwa to nearby metros and manages the visitor center. She told the council that visitor spending in 2024 totaled $64,100,000, an increase of 4.9% from the prior year, and that the destination recorded more than 150,000 visitors over a 12-month period (up from about 130,000 the year before). Carroll said about 56% of visitors stayed at least one night, which supports local lodging and retail businesses.

Carroll described the bureau's work to attract multi-day events, noting partnerships with local venues and a recent RFP-matchmaking subscription (PlayEasy) funded by a Legacy Foundation grant. "We balance leisure tourism, meetings and group travel, and strong local business support," she said, adding that Meet Ottumwa receives 40% of the hotel–motel tax collected by the city and that the bureau plans a roughly $230,000 budget from that share next year.

Members of the council praised the presentation and asked about rental rates for Meet Ottumwa’s co‑working space and about the new visitor-center exhibits. Carroll said the drop‑in co‑working rate is about $12 per day and that the visitor center has increased foot traffic since moving to 115 East Main Street. The council and Carroll also discussed the bureau’s outreach to regional markets and the bureau’s free promotional inclusion for local businesses on its website and visitor guides.

Carroll’s packet of data, which she provided to council, links the visitor bureau’s marketing and grant‑sponsored tools to increased hotel occupancy and event bookings in the community.