Arkansas State Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission Meeting Media Alert

The following is a synopsis of the Arkansas State Parks, Recreation and Travel Commission meeting held November 16 and 17, 2006, in Wynne, Arkansas. For questions regarding this report, please contact Jana Greenbaum, communications director, at (501) 682-7606.

Executive Director’s Report

U.S. Marshal Museum

The location for the U.S. Marshal Museum has been culled to two locations – Stanton, VA, and Fort Smith, AR. A decision on the location of the museum should be made soon.

Tourism Division

October highlights for www.Arkansas.com:

Ranks No. 3 among the 50 state tourism websites – following Michigan and Virginia. Ranks No. 1 among contiguous states. Is the 8,617th (out of 988,247) most visited site on the Internet for October. For more information, phone Jonathan Eudy at (501) 374-4638.

Highlights from the Seasonal Year 2005 Visitor Profile

Visitors to Arkansas in SY 2005 numbered 32.7 million (up from 30.9 million in SY04)

Total direct spending by visitors to Arkansas was $4.8 billion

Peak travel months are July and November. For more information, phone Joanne Hinson at (501) 324-1520.

Communications Section

Geocache Project

"Cache in with the Natural State" will begin in January 2007 and will feature caches hidden at locations throughout Arkansas. Twelve communities will host caches, with the first being Hobbs State Park. The coordinates for the cache at Hobbs State Park will be published in the 2007 Arkansas Tour Guide, with subsequent coordinates being revealed on www.Arkansas.com. For more information, contact Jana Greenbaum at (501) 682-7606.

Arkansas Delta Byways Regional Tourism Association Update

Since the designation of the two National Scenic Byways in Arkansas, over $5 million in grant money has been brought to the Arkansas Delta Byways region. For more information, phone Dr. Ruth Hawkins at (870) 972-2803.

State Parks Division

Village Creek State Park/Village Creek Resort

Village Creek Resorts recently acquired an agreement with Preferred Hotels for the proposed lodge at Village Creek State Park. The golf course continues on schedule. In an effort to complete the project, Village Creek Resorts has designed a resort version with a scaled down initial room count. Staff will review the revised lodging plans for consideration by the commission prior to the January 2007 meeting. For more information, contact Greg Butts at (501) 682-7743 or Stan Graves at (501) 682-1633.

According to the 2005-2006 Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism Annual Report, Cross County had $11,130,245 in total travel expenditures and 57,541 visitors (person-trips) during calendar year 2005. An estimated 155 jobs were supported by tourism, with a payroll of $2,375,636. Travel-generated state tax amounted to $726,156, and local tax $231,012.

Cross County is part of the Arkansas Delta Byways, one of the 12 Arkansas tourism regions. Arkansas Delta Byways is composed of 15 counties in Eastern Arkansas. In 2005, the Arkansas Delta Byways region generated $471,797,389 in total travel expenditures.

For more information on tourism statistics for Arkansas, please contact Joanne Hinson, Manager, Research & Information Services at (501) 324-1520.

Advertising/Marketing

The commission approved the remaining Fiscal Year advertising plan through June 30, 2007. The plan includes the winter 2006 radio and television advertisements and the 2007 Arkansas State Parks guide and Arkansas State Parks cabin guide. For more information, phone Joe Jacobs at (501) 682-6925 or Joan Ellison at (501) 682-2873.

Ozark Folk Center/Ozark Cultural Resource Center

The commission approved pursuing partnership opportunities for archiving and making the library collections more available to the public. For more information, phone Grady Spann at (870) 269-3851.

Pilot Policy for Pets in State Parks Lodging Facilities

The commission approved a pilot study allowing dogs in selected state park cabins for 2007. For more information, phone Greg Butts at (501) 682-7743 or Mac Balkman at (501) 682-7639