Johnson County, state tourism leaders discuss efforts chamber event

Before Festival Country Indiana opened its visitors center in downtown Franklin in 2020, Johnson County was lagging behind others in Indiana when it came to attracting tourists.

Tourism was the topic of conversation at the Franklin Chamber of Commerce’s October luncheon, with featured guests from the county and state tourism organizations.

Coming from behind, the center’s website, with its tagline of “Just South of Indy,” trails only the state of Indiana, Indianapolis and Fort Wayne with 18,000 monthly visits.

Festival Country’s advertising helped Johnson County weather the storm of the COVID-19 pandemic, with hotel revenue increasing by about 50% from 2020 to 2021, and on track to gain another 25% from last year to this year, Ken Kosky, the organization’s executive director.

“We’re marketing to visitors and marketing all the right things to do for residents, so they don’t feel the need to go all the way to Ohio or Illinois,” Kosky said. “Myself and the rest of the folks on the (Public Art Advisory Commission) are working on an overhead arch alley that will be kind of an Instagrammable spot.”

Since the visitor center opened, the county has seen an 8.4% increase in tourism. Additionally, the county has seen a return on investment of $16 in tourism revenue for every $1 spent, as Franklin has seen a renaissance in events and attractions, including its summer concert series, Kosky said.

In Indiana, state tourism leaders, including Elaine Bedel, CEO of the Indiana Destination Development Corporation, hope state legislators will increase the tourism budget to help expand Indiana’s reach to make the state more attractive to potential visitors and workers.

The $5.6 million total tourism budget, or 88 cents per capita annually, lags well behind those of other states, such as Michigan. The “Pure Michigan” campaign spends about $40 million a year attracting visitors, Bedel said.

“We did an image study with talent recruiter interviews and focus groups in Atlanta, Chicago and San Francisco. Indiana is not very well known,” Bedel said. “For people who didn’t go to school here, didn’t visit here or have family or friends here, they have no perception (of Indiana). Our job is to get a positive perception.”

Part of that effort is the “IN Indiana” tourism campaign. Bedel encouraged Hoosiers and business owners to download the advertising kit, which includes custom color schemes and the ability to type anything before “IN Indiana” to describe why people should visit.

The marketing effort has also included the “Hoosier By Choice” video series, which showcases state residents who aren’t originally from Indiana but moved and have lived in the state for a long period of time, Bedel said.

“We bring in a lot of professional and amateur sports events and conventions. While they’re here, give them the message about Indiana,” she said. “Stop being humble Hoosiers. Invite friends and relatives to come to Indiana. 85% of visitors were invited by friends and relatives.”

While the state ranks fifth in attracting college students, it ranks 40th in retaining graduates. With 56% of college students accepting a job offer from the business they intern with, making students aware of internship opportunities is key in preventing brain drain, Bedel said.

The most important step in getting people to decide to study, live and work in the state, however, is first getting them to want to visit, she said.