Travel Nevada awards $1 million in marketing grants to rural Nevada
*Note: This news release was updated Sept. 3, 2019, to correct an error in calculating the total amount of grant funding awarded.
CARSON CITY, Nevada — The Nevada Commission on Tourism (NCOT) on Wednesday approved $1,348,425 in grant funding to 56 organizations supporting rural tourism. The Rural Marketing Grants program supports rural Nevada destinations in their marketing efforts.
“Rural Nevada is where visitors will find amazing state parks, cultural and historical sites and one-of-a-kind community events,” Lt. Gov. Kate Marshall, NCOT chairwoman, said. “It’s a great place for a road trip and outdoor recreation, and it’s something we want people to know about. We are proud to partner with rural Nevada to help promote these destinations through the Rural Marketing Grants program.”
Grants were awarded to nonprofit groups for tourism marketing projects that will result in overnight stays, ultimately increasing room tax revenue for the state. Travel Nevada distributes grants twice a year. This recent distribution is the first cycle for fiscal year 2020, which begins July 1, 2019.
Among the funded projects:
- The Winnemucca Convention & Visitors Authority was awarded a $19,880 grant to promote the 2021 World Horseshoe Pitching Contest in Winnemucca. Funds would pay for videos and brochures about the event as well as web development and travel related to promoting the event.
- A $5,000 grant was awarded to the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe to pay for website updates and print advertising promoting Pyramid Lake as a fishing destination.
- The Mesquite Chamber of Commerce was awarded a $10,000 grant to produce a visitor’s guide to be distributed out of the area and available online.
- A $16,500 grant was awarded to Nevada Silver Trails, an organization promoting south-central Nevada, to support its aggressive social media program. A targeted, six-month social media campaign will include weekly posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram promoting such towns as Tonopah, Beatty and Pioche, in an effort to reach millennial travelers.
- The White Pine County Tourism and Recreation Board was granted $6,000 to create 3-D immersive videos of Renaissance Village, a historical site in downtown Ely that has been restored to showcase the ethnic diversity of the early Ely settlers.
- A $9,210 grant was given to the Alta Alpina Cycling Club to help promote the Carson Valley Adventure Series, a new bicycling series that will debut in 2020. Grant funds would help pay for a website, branding development and other activities to launch the series.
Funding for the Rural Marketing Grants program does not come from the state’s general fund. Travel Nevada receives three-eighths of 1% of room tax revenue as its operations budget. A portion of those funds is used to offer the Rural Marketing Grants Program. Grant recipients must provide a 50-50 match in funds or volunteer hours unless a waiver is approved. The grants are distributed in the form of reimbursements to the recipients after the projects are completed and labor and funding details are documented.
For a look at all the grant recipients, click here.
