Performance & Recovery

In March 2020, COVID-19 halted tourism as we know it. This resulted in the need to shift priorities and marketing initiatives. Even executing aggressive strategies, including a broad-based take-out/pick-up restaurant campaign, to mitigate a reduction in tourism business, Visit Jackson experienced a heartbreaking 14% reduction in total tourism revenue after experiencing historic revenues during 2019 fiscal year. Sales and Marketing Campaigns from the CARES Act Tourism Recovery Funds, TRF (Round 1), began in August 2020 with expenditures through May 2021. During this time, hotel tax sales and restaurant tax sales increased 34% and 19%, respectively. Since the campaign ended, restaurant taxes have remained flat; while hotel taxes have declined 11%.

Total food and lodging tax in FY 2021 increased 8.4% over FY 2020 then leveled out for FY 2022 at 7.6%; remaining on par with FY 2019. However, total tax collections as of April 2022 were still down 3% over April 2019. The Impact of the CARES Act Funding and Tourism Recovery Funds, Round 1 (TRF1), helped Mississippi fare better than other states recovering; the U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Economics cited Mississippi as the top tourism market in the country for travel in December 2020 in year-over-year visitor spending. Visit Jackson was able to augment its traditional marketing strategy and become more intentional, focusing on attracting Mississippi and southern state drive markets to rediscover Mississippi’s Capital City. The ability to attract outdoor and youth sporting events also contributed to the campaign’s success and local industry sustainability.

The strategies identified within this plan will amplify the impact of the investment that the Mississippi Legislative Leadership provided via the CARES Act Funding and Tourism Recovery Funds, Round 1 (TRF1). The Investment of the American

Rescue Plan Funds, Round 1 (TRF2) will support the funding infrastructure that the Mississippi Legislative Leadership has put in place to help Mississippi Tourism retain its position as a national COVID recovery leader.

As Visit Jackson approaches the end of its current 5-Year Strategic Plan (2020-2025), we intend to not only undergo a new strategic planning process, but to work with a variety of stakeholders, including community leaders, business leaders, and local and state representatives, to develop a comprehensive tourism master plan (TMP). A TMP is a long-term development plan that provides an organized and structured framework for tourism development and promotion within the city. It includes planning for accommodations, transportation, tourism activities, legislation and regulation, marketing, and promotion with the result of developing a tourism comprehensive and long-term plan for Mississippi’s Capital City.

Tourism consists of multiple independent industries, including hotels, restaurants, retail stores, sports teams, arts and cultural institutions, and entertainment venues. A TMP unifies these disparate industries by developing a singular vision to improve and complement all of them, inclusive of city infrastructure. The results of the TMP will benefit tourists and residents alike, quantifying, enhancing, and identifying a path forward to fortify the “Sense of Place” for the Capital City.

Research will play a pivotal role in developing a Tourism Master Plan along with providing a foundation for the overall sales and marketing strategies. Therefore, Visit Jackson will utilize a variety of research strategies to provide insights unique to the City of Jackson.

The research results indicate that visitors are excited to get out and travel after being restricted for so long because of the Global Pandemic. However, they are more inclined to travel safely by automobile, staying closer to home. Visit Jackson will capitalize on these research indicators and aggressively promote Mississippi's capital city to those in the southeastern United States.