I recently had the opportunity to meet with members of the Diamond Lakes Tourism Association. This group is doing a great job representing the tourism district composed of Clark, Garland, Hot Spring, Montgomery and Pike counties. This is much more than a mere statistic. To thousands of Arkansans, these numbers translate into jobs.
Tourism is one of our main industries in Arkansas.
A healthy tourism industry will be a vital ingredient of Arkansas' future economic growth. Small investments in our tourism industry today will pay large dividends for years to come. That's why we are presenting a bill this session that offers incentives to entrepreneurs who make investments to expand tourism. Our plan will give tax credits to private developers who build tourist attractions that help us compete with surrounding states. This will not be a handout.