By Vanessa Rohwer.
Kiana Johnson, Director of O’Brien County Economic Development Corporation attended the Sanborn Chamber of Commence meeting held Wednesday, January 11 at the Sanborn Golf & Country Club. She talked to the Chamber about the Iowa Tourism Grant and Travel Iowa site. She spotlighted all of the great attractions the community of Sanborn has to offer. Kiana mentioned Sanborn’s own Freedom Rock which she said with the Travel Iowa site can be featured as people travel to visit the different Freedom Rocks. She also mentioned the Locomotion Lanes, Douma Park, Miller Park, the Disc Golf, Yesterday’s Memories and so much more that the community has to offer to people.
The members of the Sanborn Chamber of Commence found the information to be very helpful. “We were not aware of Travel Iowa and are excited to utilize this website to spotlight all of the great attractions we have in Sanborn,” Chamber President Laura Lux spoke. “We are really exited to hear what O’Brien County Economic Development has to offer the small businesses in our communities and the things they are doing to help promote O’Brien County.”
In December the Iowa Tourism Office announced nearly $300,000 in Iowa Tourism Grants to 33 organizations around the state. The program funds tourism-related marketing initiatives, meetings and events that benefit both local economies and the state’s economy with awards ranging from $2,500-10,000 with a 25% cash match.
Visitors spent more than $6.1 billion across Iowa’s economy in 2021, an expansion of 35% over 2020 spending and within 5% of a full recovery to pre-pandemic levels. This direct visitor spending impact generated a total economic impact of $9.4 billion in Iowa, sustained nearly 65,000 jobs and generated $1.0 billion in state and local tax revenues in 2021.
The Iowa Tourism Office, part of the Iowa Economic Development Authority, works closely with community partners, attractions and events, to promote the state’s beautifully vast scenery and unique history. Tourism in Iowa generated $1.8 billion in tax revenues in 2021, with more than $1 billion supporting state and local governments, while employing a total of 65,000 people statewide. For more information on everything Iowa has to offer tourists, visit traveliowa.com.
O’Brien County Economic Development Corporation (OCEDC) received a $10,000 grant to fund the O’Brien County Tourism Blogger Itineraries Project. OCEDC Executive Director, Kiana Johnson, stated, “With this grant, we will be able to build on the Ambassadors Project from this past year and create unique “Blogger Approved” itineraries for the public. We will utilize Social Media Influencers to create positive perceptions of Iowa with a focus on how easy it is to travel and reside in our beautiful state.”
O’Brien County Tourism will receive a grant of $5,300.00 through the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) fiscal year 2022 Iowa Tourism Grant cycle. The grant has been awarded for the O’Brien County Tourism’s Ambassadors Project.
Katie Keene, who is the Outreach and Engagement Coordinator of the Iowa Tourism Office, which is part of IEDA, reported there were 77 eligible applications for this year’s grant cycle seeking over $557,500 in grant funding. According to Iowa Tourism Office website, www.traveliowa.com , the purpose of the grant program is to “promote tourism in Iowa by funding tourism-related marketing initiatives, meetings and events that benefit both local economies and the state’s economy.”
With this grant, O’Brien County Tourism will partner with four bloggers, who will utilize their platforms to promote tourism in O’Brien County. O’Brien County Tourism will also partner with Turner Marketing Consulting to assist with social media marketing.
According to Ms. Johnson, “This grant will provide an excellent opportunity for our communities and organizations to showcase what makes O’Brien County unique and a great place to live, work and enjoy life.”
“The new grant builds on our Ambassadors Project and received a grant from IEDA for $5300 to help fund. With the Ambassadors Project, O’Brien County hosted four bloggers throughout the year, who used their platforms to promote tourism in O’Brien County.” Mary A. Gibbons Administrative Assistant of O’Brien County Economic Development Corp. said through email “This year, we have been awarded a $10,000 grant from IEDA to build on what we started last year. We will take the bloggers’ visits and turn them into “Blogger approved” itineraries for the public to use as travel guides for touring O’Brien County. We will create positive perceptions of travel and life in Iowa.”
Kiana Johnson has been a member of Western Iowa Tourism Region (WITR) for over sixteen years. She has served on various committees including grant scoring committees, has served as Senate District Leader and is currently the Vice President of WITR. O’Brien County Tourism, a committee of O’Brien County Economic Development, has had the privilege of hosting WITR meetings. For additional information, contact Kiana Johnson, O’Brien County Economic Development at 712-957-1313 or e-mail ocedc@tcaexpress.net .