Some four-dozen communities across the state will have more money with which to promote themselves out-of-state this year. The Iowa Division of Tourism got a one-point-two million dollar budget boost and is passing the dollars along to cities with tourist attractions and events they’d like to trumpet.Shawna Lode is a spokeswoman for the state Division of Tourism. She says up to 150-thousand dollars is being made available to local Iowa attractions that will use the money to market themselves. Lode says each community is able to get between five-hundred and five-thousand dollars.Lode says Iowa hosted about 18-million visitors in 1998, tourists who spent money on food, fuel, lodging and other expenses.She says tourism is a three-point-seven BILLION dollar industry in Iowa, employing nearly 59-thousand people statewide.
Iowa's Radio News Network
