Maryland’s Tourism Industry Scores Major
Legislative Victory in Final
Hour
Annapolis, Maryland:
Maryland’s tourism industry emulated the
University of Kansas late last night – both won
white-knuckle come-from-behind victories at the
buzzer…Kansas with the NCAA Men’s National
Basketball Championship and Maryland’s $11
billion tourism industry with legislative
passage of the Tourism Promotion Act of 2008..
Not since 1994 has
the Maryland General Assembly enacted such
sweeping pro-tourism industry legislation.
“Maryland’s
economy needed a shot of fiscal adrenaline,”
stated Senator John C. Astle, lead sponsor of
Senate Bill 458 (Tourism Promotion Act of
2008). “Enactment of this bill will
ensure a measurable, guaranteed return to the
State and local economy because for every $1
that Maryland
spends in self-promotion marketing, an
estimated $28 plus is realized in visitor
spending.” Echoing Senator Astle’s
sentiments, Delegate David Rudolph,
Vice-Chairman of the House Economic Matters
Committee, added “Maryland has
just served notice to our neighboring states,
which are outspending us $2 to $1, that we’re
back in the marketing
game.”
This landmark
legislation establishes a performance-based
funding formula – consistent with Governor
O’Malley’s Administration for holding State
agencies accountable for taxpayer spending –
whereby additional monies are allocated to help
market Maryland if,
and only if, retail sales of tourist-oriented
goods and services demonstrate 3% growth or
better.
The Comptroller is charged with
quantifying this performance and reporting
annually to the Governor and General
Assembly.
If such growth is realized, the Governor
is authorized by the Act to budget those
additional monies for legislative consideration
via the normal budgetary review
process.
“Even within our own
industry, few thought it probable this Act
would pass the 2008 General Assembly,” noted
Connie Del
Signore, Chair of the Maryland
Association of Destination Marketing
Organizations and President/CEO of the
Annapolis & Anne
Arundel
County
Conference and Visitors Bureau.
“However, MADMO presented its case in
the halls of Annapolis to Maryland
lawmaker’s day-after-day for 90-consecutive
days.
They heard us and responded. Our
industry could not be more grateful for their
endorsement. Now, we must – and we will –
live up to the General Assembly’s
expectation.”
When the bill looked
like it might get mired in legislative malaise,
Governor O’Malley intervened with a letter of
support on April 2, 2008 to the respective
chairs of the House Economic Matters Committee
and the House Appropriations Committee. It was
a much-needed turning point. The
Governor stated: “The importance of the
tourism industry to Maryland is
well known. Tourism is the State’s
fourth largest industry and employs over
100,000 people, generating about $900 million
in State tax revenues annually. Studies
have shown that additional investments in
Maryland
tourism will generate a significant return to
Maryland’s
economy.
Thank you for your consideration of this
important legislation to promote Maryland
tourism.
I urge the Economic Matters Committee
and the Appropriations Committee to give Senate
Bill 458 a favorable
report.”
MADMO’s lobbyist,
Bill Miles, summed it up best, “If you saw the
Kansas upset
last night, then you experienced MADMO’s thrill
of victory. We were on the edge of our
seats last night as the final moments of the
2008 Session came to an end, absent the bill’s
passage.
Like the war hero that he is, Senator
John Astle – whom the tourism industry is in
debt – literally pulled a legislative victory
out of the jaws of legislative defeat. In my
31 years of experience in Annapolis, I’ve never
witnessed such a come-from-behind victory…and,
yes, I was born in Kansas so it
was a double-victory for me, personally, last
night.”
*****
The
Mission of the
Maryland
Association of Destination Marketing
Organizations (MADMO) is to grow Maryland’s
travel and tourism industry through
professional leadership, government relations,
and partnerships with tourism-related
businesses, organizations and state
agencies.
Contact: Connie Del
Signore @
410/263-7600
