Latest news with #JoplinConventionandVisitorsBureau
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Tourism study shows rebound in visitors
A recently tourism study shows visitors to Joplin spent more than $209 million here in a year and that the visitor numbers have rebounded since a decline during the COVID-19 pandemic. 'It was good to know that the spending power of our guests definitely has an impact both directly and indirectly,' said Patrick Tuttle, director of the Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau, of the study results. The bureau retained the firm of Downs & St. Germain Research of Tallahassee, Florida, to provide updated data on the impact of tourism on Joplin's economy. Joseph St. Germain, president of the firm, said more than 2,000 surveys were done of visitors from April 2024 through March 2025 to collect data. Much of the information was harvested from field interviews of visitors and some through the use of email or QR code questionnaires or online panels. Overall, the results showed that more 1.15 million visitors were here during the span of that year. Their spending helps support a number of jobs available here, the study reported. Though the survey showed $209 million in direct spending, the total economic impact is calculated at $408.8 million from the indirect spending of those who provide services, meals and merchandise to visitors. St. Germain said that the indirect spending occurs when hotels, restaurants, convenience stores and other businesses buy things from the revenue resulting from visitors. Visitors used 415,600 nights of lodging during the survey year, which provided a large share of the spending. The firm's study showed that tourism spending provided 2,730 jobs and more than $95.8 million in wages. Sports and Route 66 travel were two of the categories driving visitors to Joplin. Mike Greninger, a hotel manager who also operates Parkwood Tournaments, staging baseball and softball events, said these types of studies are helpful to those who depend on tourism and travel. 'It's a lot easier to track sporting events. There are so many things to track and you can gauge numbers better' with studies like this one. 'I'm amazed at how much travel and how many guests we receive from Route 66,' he said. In addition, Joplin and surrounding cities along with universities and other sports promoters do a good job, he said. 'I see our lobby in the mornings full of kids on their way traveling somewhere. We're at the crossroads here, and that's a benefit. They say half of the country's population are within a day's drive of here, and that's significant,' he said. As a father who traveled for his daughter to play ball, he added, 'The economic impact numbers are significant. Sometimes it's hard for people to believe them but they are true.' Bouncing back Tuttle said the study also showed that visits and hotel stays have bounced back after a downturn because of COVID-19. 'It's good that our occupancy rate was back to where it was before the pandemic,' Tuttle said of the report's results. 'A lot of towns were expecting to meet that mark this year. Before the pandemic, we were at 60% occupancy and we were at 60 to 65% of our motels rooms used during the reporting week.' Studies like this one are commissioned, he said, because 'it helps us in our marketing effort' so that advertising efforts can be targeted toward those likely to visit. 'It also helps to understand where some of the value is, where guests are going and what they're doing while they're here,' Tuttle said. The bureau will continue to collect data from visitors 'so we can keep the information current and see where the peaks and value are. We will crunch the numbers annually and see where we are. It's a tool to continue with our efforts,' he said. Another of the economic benefits to Joplin residents resulting from tourism is that visitor spending supplants $336 per household in state and local taxes that would have had to have been paid by locals without the dollars generated from those out-of-town visitors, the report showed. Nearly half of those who came into Joplin, or about 527,000, were here for a day trip and did not stay the night. The top three reasons cited for visiting Joplin were to spend time with friends and/or relatives for 30% of those surveyed. About 23% were here to attend a sporting event, and another 23% came for a special occasion or event. Sports and Route 66 are good draws of visitors to Joplin, according to the report's numbers. The survey analysts said that about 1 in 5 of those who came here were regional, living within 70 miles of Joplin. The largest group are those who live in nearby cities and communities. Next are visitors from Springfield, Kansas City, Tulsa in Oklahoma, St. Louis and Northwest Arkansas. Those who traveled from farther away were from cities such as Minneapolis-St. Paul, Dallas-Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, Chicago and Denver. While they were here, the most common activities were dining out, shopping, visiting friends and relatives, going to sporting events, and taking in Route 66. Other popular activities were going to historic sites, and seeing or driving by historical homes and buildings.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tourism in Southwest Missouri generates $485 million, supports thousands of jobs
Tourism in Jasper, Newton, Barton and McDonald counties generated $485 million last year in revenue and supports thousands of jobs. During National Travel and Tourism Week, which begins Sunday, the Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau, also called Visit Joplin, will observe the power of travel. 'Along the Route 66 Tri-State Corridor alone, the travel and tourism industry contributes to the regional economy, supporting local businesses while fostering long-term growth,' Patrick Tuttle, director of Visit Joplin, said in a statement. 'In 2024, over 1,700 guests signed the visitors log in our Route 66 visitor center, with more than 1,100 of them being guests from 45 different countries.' He said that the Missouri Division of Tourism's most recent annual report for fiscal 2024 shows that the four counties around Joplin provided 8,656 tourism-related jobs. According to the report: • Barton County, with 365 tourism jobs, generated $15.4 million. • McDonald County, with 374 tourism jobs, generated $17 million. • Newton County, with 2,271 tourism jobs, generated $138.5 million. • Jasper County, with 5,646 jobs, generated $314.5 million. Since 1983, National Travel and Tourism Week has brought attention to the travel industry's contribution to U.S. economic strength, community vitality and quality of life. In 2024, the national travel industry generated $2.9 trillion in economic output, supported more than 15 million jobs, and produced $190 billion in tax revenue, equivalent to $1,490 per household, according to the U.S. travel industry. The region has a number of tourism attractions. Route 66, also called the Mother Road and America's Main Street, traverses through Joplin, and a new mural was unveiled recently in the Route 66 Mural Park in downtown Joplin across from City Hall. Titled 'Route 66 Tri-State Corridor,' it highlights 21 Route 66 landmarks in the region. Joplin also sits next to the historic Jefferson Highway, which ran from Winnipeg, Canada, to New Orleans. Dedicated in 1916 and named for President Thomas Jefferson, it was inspired by the east–west Lincoln Highway and was nicknamed the 'Palm to Pine Highway' for the varying types of trees found at each end. Another attraction found in Joplin is Grand Falls, the largest continuously flowing waterfall in Missouri. In the Diamond area, about 16 miles east of Joplin, George Washington Carver National Monument is managed by the National Park Service. It commemorates the life and contributions of the former enslaved person who became the nation's foremost agricultural scientist. Another federal attraction in Newton County is the Neosho National Fish Hatchery. The hatchery raises rainbow trout as well as pallid sturgeon and Topeka shiners for restoration efforts. Additionally, log perch and freshwater drum are raised to serve as hosts for freshwater mussel restoration efforts. In addition to these species, visitors to Neosho National Fish Hatchery can see a variety of local birds and small mammals. Lamar, in Barton County, is the birthplace of former President Harry Truman, and his childhood home is a state historic site. Lamar also has a monument in honor of frontier lawman Wyatt Earp, who once lived in that area. McDonald County is frequented by those who like to fish, and float and is the home of one state park. The county seat also offers its story of Jesse James and the county's historical secession from the state of Missouri.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Cox homestead marked with new historic sign
The John C. Cox homestead was recognized Monday with the unveiling of a new storyboard sign installed near the end of the property's driveway to provide information about its significance in Joplin's heritage. The Joplin Celebrations Commission, a group of residents formed by the Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau, began installing storyboards three years ago to tell stories of key points of history and events in Joplin, a town that found its future in early lead and zinc mining and associated industries. The Joplin Celebrations Commission is led by Brad Belk, community historian, and Patrick Tuttle, director of the Joplin Conventions and Visitors Bureau. Tuttle said several other Heritage Trail storyboards commissioned by the celebrations group can be found in Landreth Park and Spiva Park and in East Town. Metal signs had been placed on some historic properties in the 1960s to 1980s, but Tuttle said they are being replaced with the storyboards because they did not give enough information about why the locations or people named on them were important in Joplin's history. Joplin author and retired Missouri Southern State University department chair Chad Stebbins said Cox is regarded as the father of Joplin. Cox, a pioneer, named the community around his homestead in what today is the East Town neighborhood in honor of a preacher who became his friend, the Rev. Harris G. Joplin. Joplin was a settler in 1839 and founded the first Methodist church in the town that was incorporated in his name. Cox was born in 1811 in North Carolina and moved with his family to Tennessee, Stebbins said. In 1838, Cox and his wife, along with the couple's 15-year-son and Cox's mother, came to Jasper County by wagon and settled here, Stebbins said. Cox held many positions to develop the rural area. He established the first post office at his home, which then was called Blytheville, and was the first postmaster. He was the county surveyor, justice of the peace and the first judge. History attributes the first lead strike occurring on the Cox property in about 1849, Stebbins said. "The Civil War a decade later kind of brought that to a halt," Stebbins said of mining efforts. A cemetery was built there in 1849, and Cox's mother was the first interred there. The cemetery still exists with burials of the immediate Cox family and other early visitors, settlers and some of the later residents of the original Joplin township, which is now known as the East Town neighborhood. The foundation for the Cox home, 619 E. Persimmon Ave., was built at the time the Civil War broke out. "He and his family had to flee to Neosho during the Civil War because of all the raiding parties that were coming through this area," Stebbins said of the Cox family. They returned from Neosho in 1867, after the war; he finished the house then. Michael Apfel is one of the Cox descendants who attended Monday's ceremony. He is the son of the late Ron and Mindy Apfel, who inherited and lived on the property for years. "Just to be part of a place that your family was involved in the founding and the initial growth and development of the area, that is inspiring and very humbling," Michael said. "We always celebrated great-great-grandpa Cox and Sarah (his wife). We used to do a tour of the cemetery. It was lots of fun and fascinating" to learn about what took place on the homestead. During the Civil War, while the Cox family was relocated, the site served as a hospital for soldiers, some of whom were buried in the cemetery on the property, Apfel said. Asked how it feels to see the expansion of the community started by his great-great-grandfather, Apfel said: "You can't take any credit for what the people here have done in the time since. But it is a thrill to see a community thrive and come back from a horrible, horrible disaster and the spirit that still remains here," Apfel said, referring to the 2011 tornado. "As a kid, I rode my bike all over the city, and there was a real sense of belonging and sense of self as a boy and still, even though those years are long gone. It's just a wonderful, wonderful feeling." What words would Cox have today about what he started here? "Probably 'Please don't mention my name,'" his descendant said. "He was an extremely humble man. Despite his very public works, he was very, very quiet, and a very humble man. He would have taken a page from Dickens: 'God bless us, every one.'"
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Cox homestead marked with new historic sign
The John C. Cox homestead was recognized Monday with the unveiling of a new storyboard sign installed near the end of the property's driveway to provide information about its significance in Joplin's heritage. The Joplin Celebrations Commission, a group of residents formed by the Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau, began installing storyboards three years ago to tell stories of key points of history and events in Joplin, a town that found its future in early lead and zinc mining and associated industries. The Joplin Celebrations Commission is led by Brad Belk, community historian, and Patrick Tuttle, director of the Joplin Conventions and Visitors Bureau. Tuttle said several other Heritage Trail storyboards commissioned by the celebrations group can be found in Landreth Park and Spiva Park and in East Town. Metal signs had been placed on some historic properties in the 1960s to 1980s, but Tuttle said they are being replaced with the storyboards because they did not give enough information about why the locations or people named on them were important in Joplin's history. Joplin author and retired Missouri Southern State University department chair Chad Stebbins said Cox is regarded as the father of Joplin. Cox, a pioneer, named the community around his homestead in what today is the East Town neighborhood in honor of a preacher who became his friend, the Rev. Harris G. Joplin. Joplin was a settler in 1839 and founded the first Methodist church in the town that was incorporated in his name. Cox was born in 1811 in North Carolina and moved with his family to Tennessee, Stebbins said. In 1838, Cox and his wife, along with the couple's 15-year-son and Cox's mother, came to Jasper County by wagon and settled here, Stebbins said. Cox held many positions to develop the rural area. He established the first post office at his home, which then was called Blytheville, and was the first postmaster. He was the county surveyor, justice of the peace and the first judge. History attributes the first lead strike occurring on the Cox property in about 1849, Stebbins said. "The Civil War a decade later kind of brought that to a halt," Stebbins said of mining efforts. A cemetery was built there in 1849, and Cox's mother was the first interred there. The cemetery still exists with burials of the immediate Cox family and other early visitors, settlers and some of the later residents of the original Joplin township, which is now known as the East Town neighborhood. The foundation for the Cox home, 619 E. Persimmon Ave., was built at the time the Civil War broke out. "He and his family had to flee to Neosho during the Civil War because of all the raiding parties that were coming through this area," Stebbins said of the Cox family. They returned from Neosho in 1867, after the war; he finished the house then. Michael Apfel is one of the Cox descendants who attended Monday's ceremony. He is the son of the late Ron and Mindy Apfel, who inherited and lived on the property for years. "Just to be part of a place that your family was involved in the founding and the initial growth and development of the area, that is inspiring and very humbling," Michael said. "We always celebrated great-great-grandpa Cox and Sarah (his wife). We used to do a tour of the cemetery. It was lots of fun and fascinating" to learn about what took place on the homestead. During the Civil War, while the Cox family was relocated, the site served as a hospital for soldiers, some of whom were buried in the cemetery on the property, Apfel said. Asked how it feels to see the expansion of the community started by his great-great-grandfather, Apfel said: "You can't take any credit for what the people here have done in the time since. But it is a thrill to see a community thrive and come back from a horrible, horrible disaster and the spirit that still remains here," Apfel said, referring to the 2011 tornado. "As a kid, I rode my bike all over the city, and there was a real sense of belonging and sense of self as a boy and still, even though those years are long gone. It's just a wonderful, wonderful feeling." What words would Cox have today about what he started here? "Probably 'Please don't mention my name,'" his descendant said. "He was an extremely humble man. Despite his very public works, he was very, very quiet, and a very humble man. He would have taken a page from Dickens: 'God bless us, every one.'"
