As the President addresses the country with a special report on the economy, the Quad Cities is working to generate a special report of their own.
Thanks to big events like Ragbrai and the Bix, our area has had record tourism numbers for the past few years. But there is another event that has been helping the cause for the last 30 years, the Miss Iowa Scholarship Pageant.
“It’s probably bringing over 1.5 million dollars of economic impact to the city for the week, once you really factor everything in,” Pageant Executive Director, Tim Heim says.
Every year on the first weekend of June, contestants from all across the state come to the area to compete for the title and they bring more with them than just crowns and beautiful gowns with them. They bring their family and friends to the area as well. They eat at our local restaurants, shop at our local stores and stay at local hotels
“They generated several 100 rooms nights here in the Quad Cities area,” he says.
Quad Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau President, Joe Taylor adds, “Visitors come to our community and pay taxes. They pay hotel motel taxes, gas taxes, food and beverage taxes, sales taxes.”
Tourism in 2011 brought $654 million to the Quad Cities as well as employed 8,300 full-time people
Joe Taylor says, “Tourism though it is seen as fun and leisure, it really is an economic driver.”
