That dynamism is a strong indicator of our area’s tourism success and the need to continue building on it.

Investors are putting millions of dollars into new construction and renovations because they’ve concluded that the Omaha area is marketing itself well and building a reputation for successfully hosting major events and a significant volume of visitors, year after year.

Omaha annually hosts nearly 5 million overnight visitors, and they spend around $681 million, according to figures from the Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). Total annual tourism spending in Omaha nows tops $1 billion and supports 16,200 jobs.

The growth in lodging taxes in Douglas and Sarpy Counties illustrates the positive trend.

Lodging taxes returned to Douglas County for the month of June 2007 totaled $669,341 in 2007. For June 2011, the figure was $725,526. For June of this year, $997,792.

The growth has been dramatic in Sarpy County, too: $62,245 in June 2007; $146,247 in June 2011; and for June of this year, $179,430.

An in-depth look by The World-Herald’s Cindy Gonzalez on the hotel sector’s vibrancy included quotes from investors about the strength of the Omaha-area.

“You have state track events, the Olympic (swim) tryouts, the College World Series — it’s quite a demand spike you can count on each and every year,” said Dan Marak, a Kansas City-based developer.

“It’s a solid business market — a Berkshire Hathaway town, a Mutual of Omaha town,” said Joel Sybrowsky of Lodging Dynamics Hospitality Group, based in Provo, Utah.

Hotel and tourism growth has been made possible by high-quality service and offerings by hotels, restaurants, retail stores and tourist venues such as the Henry Doorly Zoo, Nebraska’s No. 1 tourist site.

Important, too, is the work of the Convention and Visitors Bureau. Its marketing strategies, in cooperation with local tourism sites, have successfully targeted nearby cities such as Kansas City and Des Moines.

Omaha has long lagged in its financial support for the tourism bureau, compared to the city’s peers, but there’s improvement on that front too. Mayor Jean Stothert and the City Council agreed this year to begin boosting the city’s support for the CVB incrementally, with a $200,000 increase per year every year through 2023.

The CenturyLink Center has been another crucial factor in building the Omaha area’s reputation as a capable host for major events. And these days that reputation isn’t merely a national one — it’s international.

The proof? Next July the CenturyLink Center will host a major international women’s volleyball tournament. The Omaha tournament will be the first time the event has been held in the United States in the event’s 22-year history.

That international flavor is in line with what Gonzalez found in her reporting about overseas visitors at the Magnolia Hotel in downtown Omaha. Recent out-of-town visitors have included groups from Canada, Japan, Brazil and Australia.

The competition for tourism is highly competitive, and our area mustn’t be content to rest on its laurels.

But it’s an appropriate moment to appreciate the current success, even as we hone strategies to lift our tourism to an even greater height.

Source: http://m.omaha.com