Learn about the significant economic impact of the Regional Arts Commission on St. Louis’ arts and culture sector, making the city a top destination for cultural tourism.
St. Louis Shakespeare Festival
For nearly 40 years, the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (RACSTL) has been the most prominent public funder of arts and culture in St. Louis. Its long-term investment has sustained an arts and cultural sector that contributes significant economic value to the region and makes St. Louis a great place to live, work and visit.
“The cultural tourism market in the United States was valued at $557 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow 3.8% annually from 2022 to 2030,” said Vanessa Cooksey, RACSTL president and CEO. “This growth is driven by proactive public-private partnerships that promote arts and culture offerings in the tourism industry, as travelers are increasingly seeking out unique, hyper-local and affordable arts and culture experiences while on vacation.”
Public funding for the arts plays a crucial role in supporting tourism. Every quarter, RACSTL receives four-fifteenths of the Hotel/Motel Room Tax revenue earned in St. Louis City and St. Louis County. RACSTL uses that funding to support local artists, arts organizations and arts programs through grants. As both a quasi-governmental organization and 501(c)(3) nonprofit, RACSTL is well-suited to convene and create cross-sector initiatives that position St. Louis to capitalize on travel trends.
“Nearly all hotel stays come from people who traveled more than 50 miles to get to St. Louis,” said Angie Peters, VP of Growth and Development, “and they are often here for one of three reasons: conventions, business and/or tourism.”
In 2024, convention and business-related travel have struggled.
- In 2024, St. Louis is set to see its lowest level of convention activity, as measured by hotel room nights booked, since the pandemic began.
- About 40% of business travelers who took a trip at least three times a year before the pandemic expect to never travel for business again.
That leaves tourism, with the focus on leisure travel, to fuel growth in the short-term lodging industry. St. Louis metro hotel/motel occupancy has been irregular this year, with several weeks measuring ahead of 2023 levels and several weeks falling behind.
Though the tourism industry took a significant hit during the pandemic, there are signs of hope. Between 2021 and 2022, much of the St. Louis tourism industry recovered to pre-COVID-19 numbers. In 2023, The Gateway Arch saw its highest number of visitors in more than a decade.
StLouisArts.org drives tourists to experience more of St. Louis
Understanding the necessity of a strong tourism sector in St. Louis, RACSTL launched a new initiative in April 2023 to bring more tourists to the region to experience the arts — StLouisArts.org. The goal was to provide an immersive, comprehensive arts experience to local residents and attract tourists from across the country. The online platform serves as a central hub for residents and out-of-town guests to engage with St. Louis’ impressive arts and culture scene, helping convert potential visitors to paying customers and future residents.
“In our first year, StLouisArts.org saw 124,000 unique users from across the country,” said Peters. “We were seeing a lot of local traffic, which we loved, but we knew we needed to reach more potential tourists from outside the region.”
Using the power of content marketing, social media, storytelling and digital advertising, the arts tourism website saw a noticeable increase in visitors in 2024. As of July 15, 2024, more than 850,000 unique users visited the site. The site is projected to hit 1.5 million users by December.
“We’re seeing incredible engagement from markets outside of St. Louis,” Peters explained, “People aren’t just clicking on our ads; they are actually using the website to plan their visit and explore what St. Louis has to offer in the arts.”
Top 15 cities visiting StLouisArts.org, January-July 2024
- Chicago
- Dallas
- Atlanta
- Ashburn
- Charlotte
- St. Louis
- Nashville
- Indianapolis
- Kansas City
- Columbus
- Minneapolis
- Denver
- Detroit
- Oklahoma City
- Omaha
Promoting the arts means supporting economic growth
StLouisArts.org not only drives potential tourists to visit the region, but also helps bolster the St. Louis arts community with better promotion and access to new audiences.
“The more tourists we bring to town, the more revenue we receive in hotel/motel taxes,” said Peters. “That revenue funds our grants, and the more grants we can distribute, the more vibrant our community becomes.”
The arts are big business in St. Louis. According to the latest data from Americans for the Arts — Arts and Economic Prosperity 6 report, the sector created more than 12,000 full-time jobs and contributed $868 million in economic activity in the region in 2022. More than 8 million attendees and tourists enjoyed our theater, music, festivals, performances and more.
“We want to surpass pre-pandemic visits (12 million) and reach 20 million visits in the next three to five years,” said Cooksey. “We want St. Louis to be one of the top five arts and culture destinations in the entire country. StLouisArts.org is just the start of RACSTL’s efforts to make that happen.”
StLouisArts.org made several strategic decisions to strengthen and support its mission in 2024, including contracting with a former Riverfront Times journalist to help create content about the arts. The latest feature added to StLouisArts.org will further support RACSTL’s mission and continue to amplify the arts and culture sector in St. Louis. The new “Find Your Vibe” feature gives users a unique search tool to find what they love in St. Louis. Future site updates will include a comprehensive events calendar and a public art directory that can cross-promote nearby businesses.
Find your vibe at StLouisArts.org.
The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis is the largest public funder of art in St. Louis County and City. Since 1985, it is granted more than $120 million to nearly 7,300 artists, arts programs and arts organizations.
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