Hamilton County Tourism Inc

THIS EDA INVESTMENT SUPPORTS HAMILTON COUNTY TOURISM, INC. WITH DEVELOPING A NEW COMPREHENSIVE TOURISM STRATEGY TO HELP THE COUNTY RECOVER FROM TOURISM-RELATED LOSSES OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN CARMEL, INDIANA. THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC DEVASTATED HAMILTON COUNTY'S TOURISM ECONOMY, RESULTING IN LAYOFFS OF MORE THAN A THIRD OF THE COUNTY'S TOURISM WORKFORCE AND A 24 PERCENT DROP IN OVERALL TOURISM SPENDING. AS A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED DESTINATION FOR YOUTH AND AMATEUR SPORTING EVENTS, THE STRATEGY WILL FOCUS ON HOW BEST TO LEVERAGE THE COUNTY'S NATIONAL REPUTATION FOR SPORTING EVENTS AND ENSURE THAT THE ENTIRE REGIONAL ECONOMY BENEFITS FROM THIS IMPORTANT ECONOMIC CLUSTER. ONCE COMPLETED, THE STRATEGY WILL EXAMINE THE CURRENT TOURISM ECONOMY AND IDENTIFY FUTURE TOURISM MARKET OPPORTUNITIES, USING A BROAD BODY OF INFORMATION TO DEVELOP A PLAN TO SUPPORT TOURISM RECOVERY AND RESILIENCY, WHICH WILL HELP INCREASE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND SPUR PRIVATE INVESTMENT IN THE AREA.