BEATRICE – A search is on again, for a new Gage County Tourism Director. Megan Bartz was recently hired as Marketing Director for Gage Area Growth Enterprise, or NGage.


Beatrice Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Angie Bruna says a new director of tourism is likely to be named over the next couple of weeks.
"We have had quite a few applicants and I think I've done six interviews. We had our second round of interviews yesterday afternoon and had narrowed down to three candidates....and now are working down to our final candidate. Hopefully, by the end of this week, or early next, we'll be able to make an announcement about who our next face of tourism will be."


Bruna told the Gage County Board that most of the candidates for the position are from the local area, but there is a mix with other areas as well.
Bruna provided a report to the board Wednesday on tourism activities during the final quarter of 2022. Most of the report covered the impact of social media regarding events and tourism attractions.  The past year saw an increase in lodging tax revenue, paid through motel and campground stays. The past fiscal year, lodging tax revenue increased 19-percent over the prior year….and followed a 21-percent increase the year before.


"We're on the right track as far as lodging goes and we will continue our efforts as far as bringing in more traffic that is not work-related but also tourism, youth sports and those kinds of things, too."


The increase in travel seems to be part of a recovery from the Covid pandemic. "We have seen throughout Nebraska since the pandemic that people are just anxious to get going places. It's common throughout the whole state that lodging tax numbers are up."


A recent event, the Holiday Lighted Parade in downtown Beatrice in early December, drew nearly 7,200 attendees with 31 entries in the parade. "The Nebraska Chamber association had named our Holiday Lighted Parade as the event or program of the year, so we'll have to do a splash about that....kind of a feather in our hats."


Part of the four-percent Gage County lodging tax also helps provide revenue for grants that can help develop or improve visitor attractions. Bruna says no recent applications have been made for that pool of money, but there is a balance of about $284,000.


Bruna says an updated tourism guide for 2023 is in the process of being finalized, and should be printed soon.