ACED&T Executive Director joins Partners group in sharing with elected officials the impact of tourism
Participates in Tourism Legislative Night ... Allamakee County Economic Development & Tourism Executive Director Val Reinke (pictured at far left in front row of photo) participated in Tourism Legislative Night with Iowa’s elected officials Wednesday, January 17 in Des Moines. In conjunction with the Iowa Travel Industry Partners, the event was focused on emphasizing the importance of the tourism industry to Iowa’s economy. Submitted photo.
Val Reinke of Allamakee County Economic Development & Tourism (ACED&T) was pleased to join the Iowa Travel Industry Partners in gathering with statewide partners for Tourism Legislative Night with Iowa’s elected officials Wednesday, January 17. Conversations taking place at Curate, a reception event space located in downtown Des Moines, focused on the importance of tourism to Iowa’s economy. Bipartisan members of the Iowa Senate and Iowa House of Representatives attended the event.
Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in the state. According to Tourism Economics report on the Economic Impact of Tourism on Iowa, 2022 travelers in Iowa generated $10.4 billion in revenue, supported over 68,000 jobs, and generated labor income of $2.4 billion throughout the state. In Iowa, these dollars in turn generated more than $1.1 billion in state and local tax revenue. Each household in Iowa would need to be taxed an additional $847 to replace the visitor-generated taxes received by the state and local governments.
Reinke reported, “I had the opportunity to visit with State Senator Mike Klimesh and State Representative Anne Osmundson at the State Capitol and again at Curate. These opportunities to share the tourism story of Iowa are priceless.”
Iowa’s tourism and hospitality industry is an economic revenue generator for Iowa’s economy. Top priorities discussed throughout the evening included:
• Support funding for tourism initiatives including the Iowa Tourism Office (Iowa Economic Development Authority), Destination Iowa, Sports Tourism Fund, Community Attraction & Tourism (CAT), Meet in Iowa, and Community Placemaking Efforts.
• Maintain funding and continued enhancement of Regional Sports Authority Districts.
• Support Iowa’s current earliest school start date of August 23 to allow the tourism industry to generate revenue for the state.
• Support alternative funding sources for tourism, including the enactment of IWILL and water quality initiatives that include funding for tourism and quality of life components, amongst other alternative sources.
Tourism Legislative Night was hosted in partnership with multiple statewide tourism associations and organizations, including the Iowa Gaming Association, Iowa Speedway, Iowa Wine Growers Association, Iowa Chamber of Commerce Association, Iowa Bicycle Coalition, Iowa Golf Council/Iowa PGA, RAGBRAI, Iowa’s County Conservation System, Iowa Brewers Guild and with support by Experience Sioux City, Catch Des Moines, Travel Dubuque/Field of Dreams Movie Site, and Visit Quad Cities. Iowa Travel Industry Partners (iTIP) is committed to forming a united front with collaboration essential to continued growth of the industry.
Iowa Travel Industry Partners (iTIP) is Iowa’s statewide tourism association dedicated to supporting Iowa’s travel and hospitality industry through resources, education, advocacy, and marketing initiatives. For more information, visit IowaTravelIndustry.org.
