June 23, 2005

Indiana tourism bigger than you think – and it can get even bigger

By Liping A. Cai

Liping A. Cai

Here in Indiana, we don't have Florida's beaches, Colorado's Rockies or London's Big Ben, but we still need a healthy mix of the dollars and benefits tourism brings. One of the first things we need to do is to broaden our concept of "tourism" and consider our state a destination and those who come as visitors.

Tourism is already an economic force in Indiana, bringing in $6.7 billion annually and providing jobs for 94,000 Hoosiers, according to Indiana's new Office of Tourism Development, which has migrated from the Commerce Department to Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman's office.

When many people think of Indiana tourism, they tend to stop after the Indianapolis 500, the Brickyard 400, NCAA basketball games, the Colts and the Pacers. We consider these events our jewels of tourism because they bring in many spectators and showcase the state on a national and international stage. These short-term events, however, all take place in a concentrated period that strains our infrastructure, and then the event and the spectators are gone for another week or year.

Surprisingly, the 2002 Indiana Tourism Council Governor's Report found sports far down the list of what the state's roughly 60 million annual visitors enjoy in Indiana. While sports and state parks were listed by 12 percent of visitors, 81 percent listed scenic beauty, 70 percent shopping and 65 percent small or quaint towns.

Indianapolis is home to international events, including the U.S. Grand Prix, international amateur sporting events, professional tennis and music competitions. The city's symphony and museums are first-rate, and the recent building and expansion of the Indianapolis Museum of Art bodes well for making Indianapolis and Indiana an even more appealing cultural destination.

Then, there are regional tourist attractions, such as Monticello's Indiana Beach and Holiday World in Santa Claus in the summer; Brown County in the fall; and scenic Southern Indiana and our state's first capital, Corydon, in Harrison County. The state as a destination also attracts conventions and events, such as Indianapolis' hugely successful Black Expo, which may not fit the traditional definition of tourism but, nonetheless, function as revenue and tax generators for the state and its citizens.

Casinos are year-round attractions that provide tax benefits, but gaming clicks with only 11 percent of Indiana visitors. In the big picture, Indiana doesn't want to be another Las Vegas. In fact, even Las Vegas is shifting some of its advertising from gambling to entertainment and marketing itself as more family friendly.

Leisure visitors to Indiana, which outnumber business visitors by two to one, also come to the state for personal reasons, with 52 percent visiting friends and another 36 percent visiting relatives. While here, these visitors also tend to head to attractions, eat out and contribute to the economy and lower the taxes of native Hoosiers.

It is logical that the lieutenant governor, who also is Indiana's secretary of agriculture and rural development, sees part of Indiana's future as agricultural tourism, or agritourism. We define agritourism as any business conducted by a farmer, processor or operator for the enjoyment and education of the public. It makes sense to build upon agriculture, one of the state's traditional strengths, because nature and agricultural tourism is the fastest growing tourism segment nationally, with 30 percent annual growth.

Under the heading of agritourism come agricultural festivals and museums, horticultural operations, farmers' markets, u-pick berry farms and orchards, wineries, demonstration farms, and country stores. We've been surveying Indiana agritourism for two years, and many of us who study tourism see it as a potential signature brand in developing the whole state of Indiana as a destination for travelers.

Branding and marketing our agritourism resources to promote the whole state thematically from a visitor point of view is much superior to the 90-brochures-on-a-rack marketing approach.

Ancillary benefits to agritourism are providing a second income for those in the agricultural sector, offering young people employment opportunities and more of a reason to stay in the state, and promoting Indiana as a home for retirees.

When visitors come to Indiana, we want them to head home knowing what we Hoosiers already know: Indiana is not just a nice place to visit, it's also a nice place to live.

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