Leon County Invests $1.7 million in Tourism Grants
Leon County continues to support and grow local signature events by reinvesting into the local economy through grants for events and activities enjoyed by residents and visitors. Leon County’s Division of Tourism Development, also known and Visit Tallahassee, recently awarded special and sporting event grants totaling $1.7 million.
The application process for signature grant funding opens Friday, September 23 and closes Monday, October 24.
To qualify for a grant, events must take place between October 1, 2016, and September 30, 2017, and must attract overnight visitors who use hotel and motel rooms in the county. Funding considerations include preference for events held during traditionally low hotel occupancy periods, the number of out-of-town visitors expected and the scope and duration of the event.
Leon County allocates revenue from its tourist development tax (TDT or bed tax) funds from its annual budget to help local groups and organizations hosting events that have demonstrated a history of or have the potential for drawing out-of-town visitors to the area.
More than $500,000 of grant funding is available through Leon County Tourism for signature, special and sporting events taking place in the county. Leon County also allocates $1.25 million from the TDT to the Council on Culture and Arts (COCA) for cultural tourism marketing, arts and culture events, and facilities.
Special and sporting event grant funding has been awarded for the 2016-17 fiscal year.
Current and past grant recipients include Springtime Tallahassee, Word of South Festival, Market Days, Red Hills Horse Trials, Florida History Days State Competition, Tallahassee Latin Dance Festival, LeMoyne Chain of Parks Art Festival, Southern Shakespeare Festival, Children’s Week, Reenactment of the Battle of Natural Bridge, Tallahassee Marathon, ProStyle Tallahassee Volleyball Invitational and USTA Tallahassee Tennis Challenger.
For more information on grants awarded through the Leon County Division of Tourism Development (Visit Tallahassee), click here.
For more information on grants awarded through COCA, click here.
The Leon County Division of Tourism Development (Visit Tallahassee) is the official tourism marketing organization for Tallahassee–Leon County, Florida, promoting tourism to the area through direct sales, advertising, public relations, sports, film, product development and visitor services.
For more information, visit www.VisitTallahassee.com .
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