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Report: Inland Empire gets $52 million boost from tourism [Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Calif.]
[September 13, 2014]

Report: Inland Empire gets $52 million boost from tourism [Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Calif.]


(Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (CA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sept. 13--The Ontario-Rancho Cucamonga area saw a $52 million economic boost this past year from marketing efforts by the Greater Ontario Convention & Visitors Bureau, according to the bureau's annual report released this past week.



The amount represents $23 gained from every $1 spent, or a 23-to-1 return on investment, from the $2.16 million in Tourism Market District funds collected last fiscal year from hotels in the two cities through a 2 percent assessment on guests for room stays.

The funds are collected through the district, which was approved by Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga, and is overseen by representatives from hotels and venues in the region.


The money was used to better market the area, said Michael Krouse, president and CEO of the Visitors Bureau.

Officials said the organization, which markets the region to visitors outside the area, exceeded fiscal impact projections by as much as 19 percent.

"I think the high level part of it is that the 23-to-1 return for every dollar spent is a big message in and of itself because our goal was 14 to 1 as I recall," Krouse said. "We literally almost doubled (our projection.)" In the past fiscal year, the bureau launched new regional events, won a bid for the California Welcome Center at Ontario Mills, repositioned sales teams for greater productivity, and completed a rebranding and marketing strategy, officials said.

The first Route 66 Cruisin' Reunion, launched in Ontario shortly after the Tourism Market District was approved, attracted 140,000 people last year. Officials expect about 200,000 at this year's Cruisin' Reunion, which begins Friday.

The Visitors Bureau also organized, for the first time this year, the Huck Finn Jubilee bluegrass festival in June at Cucamonga Guasti Regional Park, and plans to expand the annual Christmas on Euclid Experience, beginning in December. The bureau also launched the first Inland Empire Restaurant Week in March, with plans for another in October.

About $21.5 million was generated from last year's special events, with organizers expecting the figure to climb this fiscal year, officials said.

Auto Club Speedway in Fontana also brings in tens of thousands of spectators to an annual NASCAR event in March.

Krouse began heading the Visitors Bureau in 2012 and area leaders credit him with bringing more people to the region.

"Getting Michael (Krouse) to come to work for the Ontario Convention Center was like striking gold," said Ontario Mayor Paul Leon. "The guy is amazing when it comes to marketing. He gets a lot of things that managers of a facility don't get. ... Michael has brought some new events to the area but he's also improved on some of the older events, and you can always expect when Michael engages in an event, it's always going to get better." Rancho Cucamonga Mayor Dennis Michael said the Tourism Market District and its efforts "give us a tool to do a better job of marketing as a group, rather than individual hotels (marketing themselves)." "This whole aspect of creating a Tourism Market District has given a shot in the arm for this region," Michael said.

Karen Pedersen, general manager of the Country Inn & Suites by Carlson in Ontario, was among hotel officials who had pushed for the Tourism Market District being able to better market the area to visitors.

"The individual hotels, especially during the last five or six years, have not had a budget for marketing,," Pedersen said, "so this was a great way to get those marketing funds without impacting the hotels individually.

"I certainly believe that the additional funds have allowed our area, our city, and our Convention & Visitors Bureau in particular, to reach out better than they've been able to reach out before, and we're seeing the impact." ___ (c)2014 the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, Calif.) Visit the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, Calif.) at www.dailybulletin.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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