Save Tourism Funding in Pennsylvania

Dear GRCVB Members,

Your livelihood is at stake. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is planning to radically reduce the Tourism Marketing Budget for 2009-2010. This is money used by Convention and Visitors Bureaus across the commonwealth to convince travelers to choose Pennsylvania for conventions, meetings and vacations. It is imperative that our elected state officials support our efforts to restore tourism marketing dollars in Pennsylvanias 2009-2010 budget. Every dollar spent on tourism marketing brings a $141 return on investment to businesses and our community. Tourism in Berks has an economic impact of well over $1 billion each year. Not only will this years budget cuts reduce our ability to market Greater Reading but money taken from the 2009 - 2010 budget will shrink matching funds by 39\% this year and for years to come.

What can you do? What can we do together? Print the attached petition of support and sign it. Circulate it among your co-workers and employees and explain to them why this matters. Encourage your employees and everyone who benefits from tourism dollars to sign the petition before returning it to the GRCVB by fax or mail (or have us pick it up) no later than April 24, 2009. Our goal is to collect as many signatures as possible and present our legislators with the petitions on April 28, 2009. Our elected officials need to see just how many constituents are affected by the proposed budget cuts. We are 400,000 strong across the commonwealth. Let our voices be heard and recognized.

If you have any questions, please call me at the Bureau.

Thank you for your help in this very urgent matter.

Crystal
P: 610-375-4085
F: 610-375-9606
For valuable information about tourism in Pennsylvania and the changes to funding go to http://www.patourismequalsjobs.com/