The Indiana Office of Tourism Development was awarded Best Public Relations Campaign for the Indiana Bicentennial Torch Relay at the U.S. Travel Association’s 2017 Mercury Awards ceremony last month in Minneapolis.
The state tourism department’s new tag line, “Honest to Goodness Indiana,” is so folksy that some wonder whether there’s a disconnect between what it says about the state and how the city of Indianapolis is trying to distinguish itself.
As Indiana slashed its tourism budget, Michigan increased its widespread Pure Michigan ad campaign from $17 million to $27.4 million. Illinois, where budget problems have earned the state the nation’s worst credit rating—A3 by Moody’s Investors Service—spends more than twice as much as Michigan.
In light of a shrinking budget, the state has dropped traditional advertising campaigns to promote tourism and is embracing
social media outlets to promote Indiana's attractions.
Destinations throughout Indiana no longer can count on a state marketing campaign to help drive summer crowds. Lawmakers who
passed a budget during the special session at the end of June sliced the state’s annual contribution
to the Indiana Office of Tourism Management in half—from $4.8 million to $2.4 million.