ALBION — The impact of tourism dollars in the local economy increased by more than $3 million in recent years, the Noble County Convention & Visitors Bureau reported this week.
The bureau presented an impact report to the Noble County Board of Commissioners Monday while making a request that the county continue its $50,000-per-year commitment to funding the organization that promotes local events and tourism venues.
In the study performed by consulting group Rockport Analytics, tourism spending in Noble County hit $15.3 million, which was up from about $12 million in 2012.
About half of those dollars spent — $7.6 million — went into lodging and food, while the remainder was split between shopping, transportation and entertainment and recreation.
The breakdown of how dollars were spent didn’t change significantly since 2012, with slightly more money going to food establishments.
“We’ve seen a bump in food and beverage, attributable to a change in the number of restaurant establishments,” bureau Tourism Asset Coordinator Dave Ober said.
Tourism supports 267 jobs in Noble County, up from 227 in 2012. Tourism also generates about $3.2 million in tax revenue through income taxes of employees, property taxes of venues in Noble County and sales tax collected in transactions.
Despite the improvements, Noble County remains mostly a minor player in the state when it comes to tourism. The county ranks 59th of Indiana’s 92 counties in terms of total tourism spending.
It’s also the lowest in the four-county region, with LaGrange, Steuben and DeKalb counties all posting more than $30 million in tourism spending annually. About half of Indiana’s 92 counties generate $30 million or more per year.
Ober and CVB Executive Director Sheryl Prentice also highlighted some accomplishments the bureau has made in the past year, which included renovating and moving its office into a restored historic farmhouse near the Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site, assisting with marketing for the annual Northern Indiana Bluegrass Association’s Tri-State Bluegrass Festival in Kendallville and coordinating events for Indiana’s last year.
They also highlighted that Noble County received funding approval from the Northeast Indiana Regional Development Authority for three projects through the Regional Cities Initiative to expand an athletic complex in Kendallville, establish a cultural trail in Ligonier and extend the Fishing Line Trail connecting Rome City and Kendallville.
Noble County provides $50,000 from the county economic development income tax (CEDIT) fund to the CVB, but the majority of the bureau’s funding comes from the county innkeeper’s tax, which is charged when people book lodging at local hotels, motels and bed-and-breakfasts.