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From YouTube: Council Minute May 25
Description
Mayor Tim Busse provides a recap of the Bloomington Convention and Visitors Bureau’s presentation on hospitality to the City Council and delivers a Memorial Day message to the community.
A
Hello
bloomington,
I'm
mayor
tim
bussey,
and
this
is
the
council
minute
for
the
week
of
may
23rd.
Our
meeting
on
monday
night
featured
an
update
from
bonnie
carlson
president
and
ceo
of
the
bloomington
convention
and
visitors
bureau,
the
convention
and
visitors
bureau
or
the
cvb
is
the
official
marketing
organization
of
the
city
of
bloomington
hospitality
industry.
The
stated
purpose
of
the
cvb
is
to
inspire
travelers
to
visit
bloomington,
and
their
overriding
goal
is
to
maximize
economic
impact
to
bloomington
by
driving
hotel
stays.
I've
talked
about
the
importance
of
the
bloomington
hospitality
industry.
A
In
the
past,
bloomington
has
47
hotels
and
just
under
10
000
rooms
and
the
city
collects
a
seven
percent
lodging
tax.
Whenever
someone
rents
a
room
prior
to
the
pandemic,
lodging
and
admissions
taxes
from
entertainment
brought
in
about
10
million
dollars
to
the
city's
general
fund
each
and
every
year.
When
we
talk
about
the
general
fund,
we're
really
talking
about
the
fund
that
directly
relates
to
property
taxes.
A
Now,
since
the
pandemic,
that
number
has
been
significantly
lower
and
it
has
had
an
impact
on
the
bloomington
general
fund
budget.
But
as
bonnie
told
us
on
monday
evening,
hospitality
is
starting
to
bounce
back
and
when
I
say
bounce
back,
there
was
a
lot
of
bouncing
that
needed
to
be
done
after
the
pandemic.
Take
a
look
at
this
in
2019,
the
hotel
occupancy
rate
in
bloomington
was
at
72
percent
6
percent
higher
than
the
national
rate.
When
the
pandemic
hit
the
occupancy
rate.
Predictably
plummeted,
it
went
to
33
and
a
half
percent
in
2020.
A
It
rose
to
about
47
and
a
half
percent
last
year
and
its
forecast
to
be
at
about
58.4
this
year.
Here
it
is
on
a
chart.
You
can
see
the
dramatic
drop-off
in
2020
as
the
pandemic
hit
and
halted
all
travel.
The
yellow
line
is
where
bloomington
hotels
are
this
year.
Things
are
much
better
and
we're
getting
closer
to
the
2019
occupancy
rate,
which
is
the
top
line
here
in
blue.
A
A
A
The
hospitality
industry
took
the
brunt
of
the
impact
of
coven
19
and
all
credit
to
the
hotels
bars
and
restaurants
in
bloomington
that
found
a
way
to
survive
well
done
in
her
presentation,
bonnie
outlined
the
convention
and
visitors
bureau's
marketing
plan
for
2022
and
it
spans
across
several
different
markets.
Obviously,
the
leisure
market
is
very
important.
The
cvb
is
focusing
their
efforts
this
summer
on
family
travel
and
empty
nester
getaways.
Their
research
shows
that,
despite
the
cost
of
gas
and
inflation
in
general,
people
are
determined
to
travel
this
summer.
A
A
A
A
That
list
of
events
coming
to
the
twin
cities
includes
the
special
olympics
in
2026.,
the
big
ten
women's
basketball
tournament
in
2023
and
2024.,
the
big
ten
men's
basketball
attorney
in
2024
and
the
2029
ryder
cup.
Now
these
mega
events
aren't
just
the
big
television
spectacles
you
might
expect.
The
group
also
landed
the
2023
usa,
girls,
volleyball
championships
and
the
2025
usa
boys
volleyball
championships.
A
These
are
championship
tournaments
for
kids,
aged
11
to
13,
and
both
events
are
expected
to
generate
at
least
30
000
room
nights
in
twin
cities,
hotels
and
just
to
whet
your
appetite.
The
group
is
still
waiting
to
hear
on
bids
for
the
big
ten
football
championship
in
2023
or
24.,
both
the
ncaa
men's
and
women's
final
four
for
any
year,
between
2027
and
2031
and
the
2031
rugby
world
cup.
A
Again,
the
actual
games
would
be
played
in
stadiums
outside
of
bloomington,
but
a
good
chunk
of
people
who
come
to
these
events
will
stay
right
here
in
bloomington.
The
final
important
marketing
audience
is
international
travelers.
After
two
long
years,
the
international
travel
market
is
starting
to
come
back
delta,
resumes
service
to
london
in
april
and
expects
to
resume
service
to
seoul
south
korea.
A
A
No
other
market
in
the
u.s
does
this
type
of
award
ceremony
only
the
bloomington
convention,
as
visitors
bureau?
Does
this
thanks
for
doing
it?
Finally,
today
this
weekend
is
of
course,
memorial
day
weekend,
no
matter
how
you
plan
to
celebrate
this
weekend.
Please
take
just
a
minute
to
remember
that
the
tradition
of
memorial
day
dates
back
to
1868
when
general
john,
a
logan
called
for
a
nationwide
day
of
remembrance
to
pay
tribute
to
those
who
gave
their
lives
by
serving
our
country.
A
The
first
memorial
day
was
observed
on
may
30
1868,
when
flowers
were
placed
at
the
graves
of
soldiers
buried
at
arlington.
National
cemetery
from
this
simple
act
of
remembrance
has
come
a
nationwide
tribute
of
respect
for
heroism
and
the
patriotism
of
our
nation's
fallen
soldiers.
Please
remember
them
this
weekend.