CT regional tourism officials have proposed that a position be created for a state "tourism czar," to be appointed by the Governor and advised by a volunteer board; and that tourism promotion at the state level be funded by a dedicated source of revenue such as the hotel room occupancy tax.
Connecticut Tourism Director Randy Fiveash currently reports to DECD Commissioner Catherine Smith and has a budget of only $4.1M for FY 2018-2019.
Even Maine has a bigger tourism budget than that. (But it's our #1 industry, after all.)
