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In new alliance, arts and tourism industries team up to lobby for major state funding increase
Still looking to fully recover from the pandemic’s negative impacts, Connecticut’s tourism and arts organizations have teamed up to make an aggressive push for more state funding.
Their request — outlined in a two-page memo put together by the CT Arts Alliance, CT Humanities and CT Tourism Coalition — is for $58.5 million annually, more than double what the state currently spends to promote the sectors.
The funding would include $25 million for statewide marketing to promote Connecticut’s theaters, museums, theme parks, casinos and other tourist attractions.
Industry leaders said the funding is critical because Connecticut has traditionally fallen behind its neighboring states on arts investment, and that for every $1 invested in arts, culture and tourism, there is a $3 return.
That means a $58.5-million investment would yield a $175-million economic impact, advocates said.
To read the entire article posted in Hartford Business Journal, click here.
Published February 20, 2023
By Robert Storace
Hartford Business Journal
