One of Fulton's newest attractions played host to a meeting of tourism professionals Monday.
People in the tourism industry from throughout Mid-Missouri met at the recently renovated Brick District Playhouse on Monday to hear an update from the Missouri Division of Tourism and others.
"We want to figure out how we can help you more," MDT director Ward Franz said of the meeting's purpose. "Our ultimate goal is to bring more people to Missouri."
Attendees came from Columbia, Moberly, Hermann, Jefferson City, Kirksville, Centralia and elsewhere to network and learn.
The word of the day, Franz said, was marketing.
"We essentially do one thing, and that's marketing," he said.
MDT aggressively advertises Missouri to surrounding states and internationally, with the goal of bringing tourists to enjoy Missouri.
"Our research says that marketing pays off," he said. "We encourage you to focus more on marketing as you plan your budget."
That marketing works. In 2018, tourism brought $17.2 billion in total economic impact to Missouri, MDT Research Director Dee Ann McKinney said. She's the department's numbers expert, researching to refine the department's strategies.
"I've also been called 'the answer lady,'" she said. "You have to know the profile of the people you're marketing to. You have to fish where the fish are."
The profile can be surprising, she said. Most people assume the majority of travellers (those 50 miles from home, or staying overnight away from home in Missouri) are families with children. In fact, couples make up the highest percentage of travellers at 45 percent, she said. The most popular activity among Missouri travellers is shopping, with 33 percent citing that as their motivation to travel to Missouri. And while the highest number of travellers are Missouri natives, the next highest are Illinois, Arkansas and Kansas.
The MDT's efforts have been hobbled recently by budget cuts, Director of Finance Lynn Struemph said.
In fiscal year 2017, the MDT received $20 million from the state of Missouri. That number was cut in half in FY18, and Missouri saw the effects, Franz said.
Usually, the state sees about a 2.9 percent growth in total economic impact from tourism each year. That dropped to 2.4 percent. Employment in the tourism industry fell by 3.7 percent, and visitation grew only by .1 percent.
"We're going to stay positive, we're going to make the most of what we've got - but we are seeing an impact," Franz said.
Struemph noted the version of this year's budget recommended by the state house budget committee sends an extra $750,000 to the MDT.
Callaway County
This is shaping up to be a big year for Callaway County tourism, tourism director Renee Stack Graham said.
For one, the National Churchill Museum is planning a giant 50th anniversary celebration in May (bit.ly/2TbhoBD). The celebration will feature celebrity guests, parades and more.
Graham said the county is also eyeing matching grants offered by the MDT.
"We're eligible to apply for their marketing dollars, but we want to get the strategic planning in place first," she said. "It is in our plan."
Research conducted by the county, including a brand perception study and ongoing focus groups with local stakeholders, will help guide that plan, she added.
Marketing already makes up the largest percentage of the county's tourism budget, Graham said.
Franz said he was impressed by what he saw in Fulton.
"I love what you're doing here," he said. "People think Fulton's a small town, but you have so much to offer."
People have the same perception of Missouri as a whole, a perception the MDT is working to change, he said.
"Folks say to me all the time, 'I can't believe you have this in Missouri,'" he said. "They'd say the same about Fulton, too."