Tourism marketing is a task the Natchez Convention and Visitors Bureau has to do with little means.

In fact, a survey of five other CVBs with which Natchez competes for tourist dollars &045;&045; the Gulf Coast, Tunica, Tupelo, Vicksburg and Hattiesburg &045;&045; shows their budgets have many times the marketing dollars Natchez does.

The Gulf Coast CVB spends $3.63 million on marketing &045;&045; 68 percent of its budget. That’s 25 times Natchez’s tourism marketing budget, $145,000 for the current fiscal year.

Tunica, boosted by casino dollars, spends $2.7 million; Tupelo, $1.185 million.

That money is spent on everything from print and media advertising to billboards and brochures.

What does it matter to the average Joe?

Quite a bit, considering that Tourism employed 2,360 people and had an economic impact of $96.2 million on Adams County in fiscal year 2003, according to the Mississippi Division of Tourism.

That’s quite a chunk of change, especially in the economically tough times we face.

True, the $145,000 the CVB has budgeted does not include the advertising private businesses do to tourists throughout the region or the articles travel writers author, pieces that are featured in travel magazines nationally and internationally.

Aldermen have said they plan to meet in the coming weeks to discuss the funding of a recent tourism marketing study by consultant Stu Barash, including the issue of funding.

Still, perhaps it’s time we as a city consider ways to boost funding for tourism marketing, looking at even more creative ways to find money for such purposes.

After all, our economy, to a large extent, depends on it.