Gov. Sanders touts state’s tourism growth at annual conference

The state saw a record number of visitors in 2024, and they spent a record amount, Gov. Sarah Sanders said Monday (Feb. 23) at the 52nd Annual Arkansas Governor’s Conference on Tourism.

Sanders said more than 52 million people visited the state and spent $10.3 billion in 2024, the latest year for which data is available. The numbers came from a report previously released by the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism.

Meanwhile, the state’s one-eighth-cent conservation tax included in Amendment 75 has risen more than 10% annually since she took office, the governor said. Forty-five percent of the revenues go to Arkansas State Parks, 45% goes to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, 9% goes to the Department of Arkansas Heritage, and 1% goes to the Keep Arkansas Beautiful Fund Account.

A portion of the conservation tax is set to stop being collected thanks to a new law passed by the Legislature with the governor’s approval. Enough state revenue is being collected to replace it, if necessary, as lawmakers and Sanders seek to end the remaining sales tax on groceries. About $10 million would be cut from that portion of the tax that funds the agencies named in Amendment 75.

Sanders said the 2% tourism tax on hotels and other amenities has been rising, allowing the state to invest in previously untargeted areas such as creating an outdoor recreation workforce.

Sanders said the Little Rock event was her fourth time to speak at the Governor’s Conference on Tourism, the previous three being at El Dorado, Jonesboro and Bentonville. This one featured her signature bourbon chocolate pecan pie.

The governor noted that 58 schools have participated in her administration’s outdoor education pilot program, with recruiters hoping to increase that number to more than 150 by the next school year.

Sanders created the Natural State Initiative in 2023 and tasked her husband, Bryan, to lead it on an unpaid basis. The initiative’s purpose is to grow the state’s outdoor economy. She said her and the first gentleman’s goal was “leveraging the assets we already have to enhance experiences and make Arkansas a truly world-class, first top of mind destination.”

She noted that many advancements are occurring at Arkansas State Parks. The last of the 84.5-mile Delta Heritage Trail State Park is due to be completed by the end of this year. Blanchard Springs Caverns is being transferred from the U.S. Forest Service to Arkansas State Parks.

Petit Jean State Park’s Mather Lodge, built in the 1930s through President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps, is undergoing a major renovation. The state’s first park also will be home to 32 bolted mountain climbing routes and more than 150 bouldering opportunities.

Sanders said she prefers hiking or sitting next to a fireplace.

“But what I love is that our state parks offer a little bit of something for everybody,” she said. “In fact, you can find that at many places around our state, whether you’re in for adventure, or you want more of the luxury amenities, there’s a little bit of something all over Arkansas for every single person. And it’s why I think our state’s tourism industry has been so incredibly successful.”

Sanders set a goal of doubling the state’s tourism economy during her governorship.