Visitors to Indianapolis continue to boost the region’s economy with new levels of spending, according to a study unveiled Tuesday at Visit Indy’s annual meeting at the Indiana Convention Center.
Visitors spent nearly $681 million in the county in 2015, with most of the dollars used for food and beverages. That’s a 12 percent boost over 2014, nearly double the increase for the overall metro area.
Visit Bloomington has overhauled its marketing campaign and doubled its ad budget this year—pegging the home of Indiana University as the “blue dot in a red state.”
The Indianapolis Downtown Restaurant & Hospitality Association is making big adjustments to its “Devour” events starting next year, the organization announced Monday.
While Indianapolis pursues major sporting events and massive conventions—gatherings that attract tens of thousands of people and score tens of millions of dollars in economic impact—many neighboring counties are chasing small and midsize corporate confabs, weddings and senior-citizen bus tours.
Tourism officials say they don’t know what kind of economic impact to expect from the event but note plenty of hotel rooms are available now for the Oct. 1-2 event.
Total attendance for last week’s Gen Con show in Indianapolis inched up over last year’s record numbers. More hotel spaces could help the show expand, according to an organizer.
A local couple wants permission to list a garage apartment through the lodging platform. Some residents think Airbnb could attract tourism dollars, while others worry about safety and the area’s character.
Only 1 percent of the events booked over the last year at the Indiana Convention Center asked for gender-neutral bathrooms, but hospitality experts say it’s a big and growing issue.
UConn won an unprecedented fourth straight national championship Tuesday night in Indianapolis, capping another perfect season by routing Syracuse 82-51. Coach Geno Auriemma passed John Wooden with his 11th national title.
Visit Indy decided in the third quarter of 2014 to go all-digital with its seven-figure leisure advertising campaign, and it hasn’t looked back.
City and Indiana Pacers officials will decide after they get bid requirements later this summer whether to pursue the NBA All-Star Game for Indianapolis.
The museum is arguably the Indy area’s most magnetic force, luring visitors from virtually every state in the country and six of seven continents.
Hotel rooms booked by Visit Indy rose to a record in 2015. But the number of bookings from out-of-state organizations plummeted by more than 100,000, possibly because of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act controversy.
The survey found that only 45 percent of the 339 meeting decision makers polled agree with the city’s post-RFRA battle cry “Indy Welcomes All.” And a mere 28 percent surveyed agree with the statement “Indiana Welcomes All.”
Indianapolis hasn’t hosted the NBA All-Star Game since 1985—when it was in the Hoosier Dome—something the league’s commissioner, Adam Silver, wants to change. But local officials haven’t pulled the trigger on a bid.
The organization, a division of Hamilton County Tourism Inc., is launching a five-year calendar, increasing its budget by 25 percent and hiring another staff member.
Hamilton County Tourism is in the process of testing a marketing campaign aimed at attracting weekend visitors in the fall months. And it’s targeting only one out-of-state area—Chicago—instead of several.
After several tests, engineers have certified that the roof is now fully operable, according to a written statement from the Indiana State Convention and Building Authority.
The conference is expected to draw presidential candidates and national media because it will come not long before the Democratic and Republican national conventions.
