Sandy Haas sees tourism first hand.

She greets it, signs it in and hands it a key.

Haas is at the front desk of one of Muskogee’s most important industries. More than 700,000 visitors pumped at least $77 million into the city’s economy last year, according to the Greater Muskogee Area Chamber of Commerce.

“Some stay with us for the Azalea Festival and some come for events at The Castle,” said Haas, front office manager at the Hampton Inn. “They really seem to like the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, the Five Civilized Tribes Museum, and the Batfish. We also get quite a few guests for the Barebones Film Festival.”

Visitors may come and go, but they have a lasting effect on Muskogee’s citizens, officials say. Tourism dollars help pay to repair roads, improve education, pay for firefighters and police officers.

What’s even better is that Muskogee citizens don’t have to pay a dime for the chamber’s work promoting events and attractions; that’s funded by the city’s hotel/motel tax.

McKenzie said visitors have only been tracked since April 2006, when the chamber entered into a contract with the city to manage the hotel/motel taxes to promote the city as a tourism destination.

Hotel/motel taxes collected in fiscal year 2006-2007 were $230,000, and the taxes collected in fiscal year 2007-2008 were $257,000, giving the chamber a solid foundation for tourism development, said Treasure McKenzie, vice president of Tourism and Marketing at the chamber.

“For the average citizen, they see an improvement in quality of life,” she said. “Any time we do something for visitors, it’s always going to do something for citizens as well. We want to improve our attractions and things to do; they’re not only for the visitors but the citizens.”

So far this year, the city has seen more than 284,000 visitors, according to the chamber.

The hotels and motels are most tied into tourism, because the tax they pay directly funds tourism projects under the management of the chamber of commerce. And, of course, the hotels and motels provide a place to stay for all those visitors while they’re in town.

Haas said anyone staying longer than overnight usually asks about things to do.

“They ask if there are any museums in town,” she said. “The activities guide the chamber provides really helps us. It’s our No. 1 handout.”

Haas said certain attractions tend to be the most popular with guests at the Hampton Inn.

Another important boost for the hotel is tour groups who stay for specific events.