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"Tourism can be the engine that helps move Maryland's economy forward," said Margot Amelia, executive director of the Maryland Office of Tourism, during a town hall meeting hosted by the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association, Feb. 24 at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. The meeting addressed economic challenges in the tourism industry. Amelia recounted that the Comptroller’s Office had reported that tourism-related tax revenue had increased more than any other category of Maryland tax revenue in FY2008. She also said that non-adjusted sales tax growth in the tourism industry was 13 percent during the 2008 fiscal year — more than 50 percent higher than the state's overall tax growth of 8.6 percent. Tourism tax codes for the current fiscal year continue to outperform all sales and use taxes by nearly 28 percent, she added. Such measures present "a compelling rationale for continued investment in marketing activities," she said. The Office of Tourism is focusing on investments" in unique Maryland cultural assets that increase visitation and spending," Amelia said. "We want to be ready for upcoming commemorations in the state — the War of 1812 bicentennial, the Civil War sesquicentennial and the Harriet Tubman centennial." New CRUSA web site appeals to garden enthusiasts in UK Capital Region USA (CRUSA) – a tourism marketing coalition representing Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. – has launched a new web site for the United Kingdom market that is devoted to gardens, national parks, wineries and farmers' markets in the Capital region. Called My Capital Gardens USA, the new site presents a diverse collection of the best "secret" and historic gardens on the Eastern Seaboard, according to CRUSA officials. CRUSA collaborated with the National Garden Scheme, an English organization that raises funds for gardens in the UK, to produce the site. The web site includes commentary by Monty Don, a popular TV gardener in the UK. Don hosted the BBC production Around the World in 80 Gardens. "There is a wide range of spectacular gardens to visit in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.," he said. Hotel executives warn of fallout from ‘meetings rhetoric' Executives of 10 prominent U.S. hotel companies have warned Congress that more travel-related jobs will be lost "if the rhetoric around corporate meetings and events is not toned down," said Geoff Freeman, senior vice president for public affairs at the U.S. Travel Association. In a collectively signed letter, the executives wrote "that legitimate meetings, business events and recognition travel are now being portrayed as perks and symbols of excess." The travel association will soon launch a web site for the national travel community to consult and use to contact elected officials and local media, according to Freeman. Arts Council wraps up 'Poetry Out Loud' contest for studentsIn partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, the Maryland State Arts Council concluded this year's Poetry Out Loud competition – a contest in which high school students perform poems of their choice – with its state finals at Center Stage in Baltimore, Feb. 21. Amanda Jackiewicz, a senior at Baltimore Lutheran School in Baltimore County, emerged as champion after she presented "Madmen," a poem by two-time U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins. She will represent Maryland in the national competition, April 28 in Washington, D.C. The two other top finishers were Imani Harvil, a junior at Baltimore's Western High School, and Will Poxon, a senior at South River High School in Anne Arundel County. Poxon was the 2008 champion. E-mail Chris Stewart at the Arts Council to register a school for next year's contest. Ocean City restaurateur sees opportunity for Maryland tourism Greg Shockley, a member of the Maryland Tourism Development Board for the past year, remembers last summer as the season of high gas prices. Shockley is the owner-operator of an Ocean City eatery, Shenanigan's Irish Pub and Grille. "It was a challenging time," he says. "By the end of the summer, people were worn out by four-dollar gas.".
Lewis Museum presents Sister, Soldiers exhibit
Maryland State Arts Council grants: Application deadline for Arts & Entertainment Districts Technical Assistance Grant, March 19. Application deadlines for Maryland Traditions, a partnership of the Arts Council and the Maryland Historical Trust. Attention stewards of Maryland cultural heritage resources: Maryland Historical Trust Preserve America Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network Save America's Treasures
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