Restoring tourism funding to its proper level needs your action! We are urging Gov. Rendell and our legislators to restore FY 2010-11 tourism funding to a level that maintains the industry’s economic vitality. This initiative needs as many voices as possible.

We are the 49 Tourism Promotion Agencies representing all 67 counties of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. We represent Pennsylvanians throughout the hospitality industry, from blue collar to white collar, from service professionals to executives, whose work and livelihoods are dependent on tourism.

Tourism ranks as the second largest industry in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and our state is the 4th most visited state in the country.

The tourism industry generates $10.7 billion in wages and benefits, and accounts for almost 7% of all individuals employed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This is a work force of 400,000 representing our hotels, amusement parks, restaurants, ski areas and stadiums.

The tourism industry has grown state and local tax revenues by 16.5% between 2003 and 2007.

Our mission is to market and sell information to convince travelers to choose the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for their conventions, meetings, and vacations.

In 2007 alone, direct spending by travelers to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania generated $28 billion.

The $28 billion represents NEW dollars flowing into our state’s economy, much of that into the government’s tax coffers:

• $7.26 billion in transportation
• $6.32 billion in food and beverage
• $5.32 billion in retail
• $4.04 billion in lodging
• $3.25 billion in entertainment
• $1.62 billion in other goods and services

In 2007, visitors generated a total of $2.8 billion in state and municipal tax revenues (a little more than 10% of the total General Fund Expenditures in 2007-08).

Due to the major tax revenues generated by tourism industry in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, each one of our 4.9 million households benefits with $575 in tax savings. Put another way, if not for tourism industry, each household would have to pay $575 in additional taxes to maintain the current level of state services.

Tourism generates tax revenues for vital state needs. How?

The tourism industry does not compete with vital programs; it helps pay for them. In 2007, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania brought in $2.8 billion in tax revenue from tourist expenditures, helping the state support education and social welfare programs.

Tourism industry-related tax revenue could have also covered approximately 83% of the cost to provide medical assistance to Pennsylvania families!

The total state tax investment in tourism was $28 million in 2007-08 FY. This is equivalent to less than one percent of the total investment in basic education, higher education, and social welfare combined.

Tourism provides a return for tax dollars invested

In his draft budget for the 2010-11 fiscal year, Gov. Rendell has proposed cutting state tourism promotion funding for the third straight year, to a level that’s 65% below FY 2008-09.

If this proposal is allowed to stand, then numerous current and future tourism jobs across Pennsylvania will likely vanish – as well as related tax revenues – due to diminished visitor levels.

We urge the Governor and our legislators to reverse this shortsighted trend and restore tourism promotion funding to a level that maintains the economic vitality of the state’s second largest industry.