Senate Bill 2565 Summary

• Creates the Mississippi Tourism Advisory Board consisting of the Executive Director and Director of Tourism for the Mississippi Development Authority, the President of the Mississippi Tourism Association, and seven Governor-appointed members representing convention bureaus, lodging, restaurants, attractions, special events, agritourism, and gaming industries.

• Establishes the Tourism Advertising and Marketing Fund in the State Treasury to be used exclusively for advertising and marketing Mississippi as a tourism destination, excluding salaries, operational expenses, and facility construction or repairs.

• Creates a five-year pilot program (fiscal years 2015-2018) that transfers growth in sales tax revenue from tourism-related industries to the Tourism Advertising and Marketing Fund, with annual transfers capped at $15,000,000 adjusted annually for inflation.

• Requires the Commissioner of Revenue to calculate and certify sales tax growth from specified tourism-related industries by October 20 each year, with the Department of Finance and Administration transferring certified amounts to the Tourism Fund by October 31.

• Requires the Mississippi Development Authority to conduct an annual return-on-investment study on tourism promotion success and file reports with the Governor, Secretary of the Senate, and Clerk of the House of Representatives.