Missouri Travel Alliance  is a strong advocate for Missouri’s travel industry. As a state agency, the Missouri Division of Tourism cannot legally advocate for itself before the Missouri General Assembly. We have taken a successful grass-roots approach to educating our state legislators about the importance of tourism. Missouri’s travel industry creates jobs, tax revenue and economic development. The greater the Division of Tourism’s marketing efforts, more visitors come to Missouri, which benefits all of us. More people spending nights in our hotels, eating in our restaurants, visiting our attractions, shopping in our stores, etc. We advocate for strong funding for the Missouri Division of Tourism, for legislative initiatives that will benefit our industry and against legislation that potentially could have a negative impact on our industry.

Simply stated, consistent investment in tourism promotion is crucial to Missouri’s bottom line, it enhance’s Missouri’s image and strengthens its communities.  In Fiscal Year 2018:

• The total number of visitors to Missouri was 42 million.
• Total economic impact of the Missouri travel industry totaled $17.2 billion dollars.
• The amount spent per person per trip by domestic overnight visitors was $287.
• The estimated direct state and local taxes generated by visitors was $1.4 billion dollars.
• The average Missouri household’s tax burden offset by visitor spending was $602.
• Visitor expenditures in Missouri’s businesses for every dollar invested in travel marketing was $87.
• Missourians directly employed in the tourism industry total 301,789.

Sources: Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Missouri Department of Revenue, and SMARI Insights FY18.

Educating our state legislators as to tourism’s vital importance to Missouri’s overall economy has never been more important.  Continued strong support and funding of the Missouri Division of Tourism is critically important in continuing to drive tax revenue that will help strengthen the state’s overall economic health. 

Missouri Travel Alliance will not support initiatives that demonstrably will have a negative impact on our economies at a local and/or state level.

Undoubtedly there will be unforeseen issues that will arise in each legislative session that will require input and action from Missouri’s travel industry.  The Joint Missouri Travel Alliance and Missouri Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus Legislative Committee holds weekly conference calls and will stay abreast of any such developments and will communicate them through Missouri Travel Alliance’s weekly Legislative Update (January – May).