Six Panhandle organizations this week were awarded a combined $63,250 in new grants from Nebraska Tourism, the state government’s tourism promotion agency.
They included awards of $10,000 to the Gering Visitors Bureau for marketing; $9,750 to the Western Nebraska Community College Foundation to promote Platte Valley Cos.' Monument Marathon Sept. 30; and $3,500 to the Oregon Trail Community Foundation to promote the 2023 edition of the Old West Balloon Fest Aug. 9-12.
Dawes County Tourism of Chadron received a $25,000 grant for marketing northwest Nebraska, the third-largest among $769,334 awarded to 66 organizations statewide.
Eighty-eight organizations requested $1.45 million from the state’s latest cycle of Community Impact and Tourism Marketing Grant awards, the state agency said.
“The grant programs are designed to encourage communities in all corners of the state to market their destination or event to potential visitors,” Nebraska Tourism Commission Executive Director John Ricks said in a press release Wednesday.
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“Increasingly, people are considering Nebraska as a travel destination, so it is important to demonstrate everything our state has to offer.”
Other grants to Panhandle-related tourism organizations this cycle were $10,000 to the regional Western Nebraska Tourism Coalition and $5,000 to the Mullen-based Sandhills Journey National Scenic Byway. Both grants are to aid their marketing promotions.