Central Neb. groups split $500K of tourism grants

Gov. Dave Heineman has announced $500,000 in grants designed to help promote tourism across the state.

Thirty-three grants will be distributed as part of the Tourism Advantage Matching Grant Program.

"These grants give an added boost to the promotion of travel and tourism, an industry that is creating and sustaining jobs throughout Nebraska," Heineman said.

"These are matching grants for varied efforts to spread the word on places to visit and things to do across our state."

This year's awarded grants range in size from $2,000 to $50,000. Grants are matched dollar for dollar by local groups and help cover the cost of production and placement of mass media advertising, Web site development, the production and distribution of maps and brochures, direct mail advertising and participation in travel and trade shows.

This is the fourth year of the program, administered by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development's Travel and Tourism Division. Grant recipients from Central Nebraska include:

n Burwell Area/Garfield County Convention and Visitors Bureau: $2,330 for brochure printing and direct mail.

n Central Nebraska Tourism Partnership: $42,725 for crane migration/wildlife tourism marketing with Web site development, newspaper ads and brochure.

n Grand Island Area Chamber of Commerce: $24,700 for market planning and research and radio ads.

n Hall County Convention and Visitors Bureau: $23,076 for sports travel marketing with magazine ads and trade shows.

n Loup Basin Resource Conservation and Development Council: $4,098 for Loup River Scenic Byway marketing with Web site design, rack card printing and print ads.

n Nebraska Winery and Grape Growers Association: $12,000 for updating Web site, developing map and brochure, and direct mail.

n Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway Organization: $5,564 for Web site upgrade, direct mail, newsletter mailing and travel shows.

n South Platte United Chambers of Commerce: $6,100 for nature tourism marketing with posters, magazine ads, newsletter e-mail, brochure printing and distribution and direct mail.

n St. Paul Development Corporation: $2,400 for Web site development.