Our mission at Ohio Magazine — to cover the beauty, adventure and fun in our state — has kept us pretty clear of statehouse politics, but the recent passage of Ohio Senate Bill 314 is a legislative accomplishment we want to recognize. The new law gives the places, people and businesses that make fun their business a bright future.
 
While you’re enjoying your Ohio vacation, you’re probably not thinking about the 443,000 jobs and $40.3 billion annual sales generated by tourism in the state. But make no mistake, fun is serious business here.

It is also good business for the State of Ohio. For every tax dollar spent last year on tourism marketing by the Ohio office of tourism, now called TourismOhio, $14 flowed back into local or state tax coffers. That’s a 1,400 percent return on investment. You can see why neighboring states have raised the stakes and now spend as much as five times Ohio’s $5 million budget.
 
SB 314 includes a performance-based funding model for tourism in Ohio. If Ohio can continue to grow and generate additional tax revenue for the state, its funding can increase to as much as twice its current level.

The development and passage of the legislation resulted from a remarkable collaboration among the Ohio Travel Association, the Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association, the Ohio Association of Convention & Visitor Bureaus and the Ohio Restaurant Association. (Details on the plan can be found at ohiotourismworks.com.) Governor John Kasich signed the law on July 5 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, one of the many Ohio attractions that will benefit from the new funding model.

So congratulations to Ohio’s tourism industry on this opportunity! We look forward to covering even more beauty, more adventure and more fun because of it.