Steve Arrison
Arkansas Tourism Tax Revenue Slips After Record 2024
Restaurants, new business openings and steady business travel are cushioning softer hotel demand. Local leaders see uneven but encouraging signs, as well as major events ahead that could reshape the outlook. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
Little Rock Tourism Bureau Teases Public-Private Partnership for Downtown Venue
The news came during a panel discussion with other regional tourism leaders, who highlighted upcoming projects and the industry's economic impact. read more >
by Chloe McGehee -
Outdoor Recreation Fuels Arkansas Tourism Boom Post-Pandemic
The pandemic reshaped the tourism landscape in Arkansas, but as the state began to recover, cities adapted and redefined their approach. read more >
by Marty Cook -
Hot Springs Reveals Top 5 Restaurants & Hotels in 2024
Arkansas law blocks cities from sharing local-option tax data, but Visit Hot Springs reveals its top five restaurants and hotels for 2024—minus the dollars. read more >
Best Quotes of 2024
The best quotes of 2024 from Arkansas business leaders, innovators, and officials—insights on challenges, growth, and the unique spirit driving the state forward. read more >
Tourism Tax Receipts Up 8% in Eclipse April, But No Record Set
Analysis after the fact has taught tourism officials that the market for a solar eclipse is much like the market for state parks and other outdoor recreation. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
I-30 Expansion Project Eyes December Finish After Delays, Complaints From Businesses
Work on the project in Saline County has picked up significantly since ARDOT said it was considering holding contractor Johnson Bros. in default of contract. read more >
by Marty Cook -
Broyles Award Ceremony to Move to Oaklawn
Leaders of the Broyles Foundation say they will move its annual Frank Broyles Award ceremony to Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs starting w read more >
by Lance Turner -
Hospitality Tax Collections Jump in 2022
The jump signals a continued recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that devastated the state’s tourist industry three years ago. read more >
by Jan Cottingham -
Hot Springs to Unveil Bronze Babe Ruth Statue
The sculpture will depict Ruth in his New York Yankees uniform just after he has swung the bat, watching as a home run sails over the outfield. read more >
A&P Taxes Indicate Rebound Strong, Not Complete
The tourism and hospitality industries rebounded strongly in 2021, but local tax collections indicate that a few cities haven’t seen visitors return to pre-pandemic levels. read more >
by Gwen Moritz -
Arkansas Tourism Tax Numbers Soar, With Caveats
In cities that collect advertising and promotion taxes for tourism on hotel and restaurant receipts, the numbers talk. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
Oaklawn Wants to Hold Races in December
Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort of Hot Springs wants to add December live racing dates to its calendar and host a 66-day season, from Dec. 3, 2021-May 8, 2022. read more >
Southern Airways Announces New Intra-Arkansas, Hot Springs-Memphis Flights
Southern Airways Express adds Friday and Sunday flights connecting the El Dorado, Harrison, and Hot Springs airports to each other and will add Memphis-Hot Springs flights in June. read more >
Arkansas Hospitality Tax Receipts Plunge in 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic sent hospitality tax collections in Arkansas plummeting last year, and the blow to some tourism bureaus in the state, which rely on the taxes for revenue, was even worse than those figures show. read more >
by Jan Cottingham -
State Hospitality Industry Sees Lifeline in Federal Relief Deal
For Arkansas’ hospitality industry, congressional approval of a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package was a long time coming and much appreciated. read more >
Convention Centers Can’t Wait for Legislative Session
Arkansas’ hospitals and other industries have urgent concerns for the Legislature to address in the regular session that will commence on Jan. 11, but a key piece of the hospitality industry has needs that are more urgent. read more >
by -
Oaklawn Progress Tops Wealth of Projects Boosting Tourism
Hot Springs continues to move forward with important tourism-related projects and activities despite the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Steve Arrison, CEO of Visit Hot Springs. read more >
A&P Trends Show Pandemic Pummelling Arkansas Visitors Bureaus
The coronavirus pandemic has battered city convention and visitors bureaus in Arkansas and sapped their sources of revenue: lodging and restaurant taxes. An industry built on bringing people together and attracting tourists is uniquely vulnerable to an infectious disease. read more >
by Jan Cottingham -
Hot Springs Tourism: Nearly 8M Visitors in 2018 Spent Record $677M
Travelers have increased their spending in Hot Springs, the state's tourism mecca, by nearly 30% since 2013, according to data presented Monday to the area's tourism industry. read more >
by Kyle Massey -
Sign up for Daily E-news
Sign Up
THIS WEEK’S EDITION
This Week’s Stories
View Digital Edition
