Visitors bring big bucks to Muskogee

By Keith Purtell
Phoenix Staff Writer

June 28, 2009 01:11 am

— 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.
“We get at least one tour group a year for the Azalea Festival or the Garden of Lights,” she said.
Members of the Federation of Colored Women’s Groups, most wearing bright purple dresses, gathered at LaQuinta Inn & Suites for a convention this weekend.
Federation Past President DeLois McGee said the hotel had just what she needed for the group.
“We live in Checotah and we didn’t have a facility with a meeting room,” she said. “And we also have several past presidents from this area.”
What the city is doing to roll out the red carpet for visitors seems to be working, according to Haas.
“When they come back, they say they really enjoy the town.”
The impressive statistics from the chamber of commerce help explain why McKenzie is so excited about tourism. She and those allied with her have poured energy and ideas into making Muskogee more “visitor friendly.”
“That’s why our Web site (www.muskogeechamber.org) is so varied: each individual has their own different passion,” she said. “There are so many things about Muskogee that are permanent that give visitors something to do, whether it’s the Batfish or the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. We have a wide variety of events that include different interests and hobbies.”
McGee said Federation members came in from Langston, Guthrie, Eufaula, Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Some are expected to take in Muskogee sights, she said.
“After tonight’s session, some might go to the Creek Nation Casino,” she said.
Jackie Gates of Oklahoma City said she ate at Okie’s Restaurant on Thursday night.
“It was wonderful, we had a great steak,” she said. “We did go into the casino and we went to the Mall, that was kind of impressive.”
Odette Cober said she had visited Honor Heights Park on a previous visit and would like to see it again.
McKenzie said the great thing about tourism is that it is economic development in its purest form; people come here, spend their money, and go home.
“We don’t have to educate their children or fix their potholes,” she said. “It costs the local citizens nothing. Local hotel/motel taxes are paid for by visitors who come and stay in our hotels. So, at no cost to a citizen, we get improvements to our city and quality of life.”
Sue Harris, president of the chamber, said tourism also generates employment opportunities.
“It creates retail jobs,” she said. “And it brings visitors to town, for which we develop services and amenities, and those create jobs. Tourism is a vital part of our economy because it helps us import more money into our community than we export.”
Benefits visitors bring to Muskogee can’t be measured in dollars alone.
“It’s always great to have people from other areas come to Muskogee. Not only are we educating them about our way of life, but we also can learn from them. Other personalities bring character to our community as well. We get to show them how we live, and they get to share their ideas while they’re here. It keeps Muskogee a diverse and interesting place to be.”
McKenzie said tourism is somewhat seasonal because of major events like the Azalea Festival in April, the Garden of Lights in December, and the Renaissance Festival in May.
“However, Muskogee is fortunate in that we have so many tourism attractions all the way around it makes us a very popular place to go all the time,” she said. “We have five museums, the Castle, the water park, and the Outlaw Speedway happens all the time all summer. So our tourism isn’t just dependent on our events. So anytime you come to Muskogee there is plenty to do for all different types of interests.”
McKenzie said that as tourism increases, the city sales tax generates more revenues because visitors purchase gas, shop in our retail stores, and dine in our restaurants. Also, visitors may consider moving a business here in the future, or they may consider moving to Muskogee.
She said that the chamber’s tourism work and the city got a ringing endorsement last year.
“During the Hemmings Challenge vintage car rally we had last year that came to town, we won $5,000 for being the best host city,” she said. “The racers all voted at the end of the week on five communities.”
McKenzie said the chamber plans to keep on pushing Muskogee’s virtues.
“A general rule of thumb for a visitor is you have to keep them busy four times longer than it took them to get here,” she said. “And Muskogee has plenty of activities and events that make that happen. So we can pull people from really long distances to visit Muskogee because we have such a wide variety of things to do.”
Staff writer Cathy Spaulding contributed to this report.
Reach Keith Purtell at 918-684-2925 or Click Here to Send Email

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