NATCHEZ — City tourism promotion got a boost this year in the form of $40,000 in state grants, something they didn’t receive last year, Tourism Director Walter Tipton announced Wednesday.

The Natchez Convention and Visitors Bureau will use the funds to advertise the city, Tipton said.

The CVB usually gets funds from the Mississippi Tourism Grant grant, but the grant money was cut last year, he said.

“We’re excited to be back in the state grant money,” Tipton said.

The past fiscal year brought in $933,191 in hotel and restaurant taxes, Tipton said. That was more than the $885,000 the CVB expected to receive, he said. This coming year, they are projecting an even better turnout, $979,650, because of the new hotels scheduled to open.

By law, one-third of those tourism tax dollars goes to help pay off the convention center. A portion goes to the city, which provides services such as bookkeeping and payroll for the visitors bureau.

“The balance of that is what will be available to advertise,” Tipton said.

The CVB will use tourism tax money to match the $40,247 grant. That money will go toward advertising Natchez in media, such as regional magazines, travel books and cable television networks.

Marketing Natchez to surrounding areas helps bring visitors, Tipton said.

“It helps us market to all our drive-in market,” he said. “We did a little bit less advertising last year (without the grant).”

Advertising in those markets reaches roughly 4.3 million people, he said.

The increase in tourism tax dollars was a sign of the area’s tourism success, Tipton said to the CVB board.

“Most of the growth in Natchez right now is in the tourism area,” he said.

In other business:

4The board approved spending $2,000 to sponsor a table at the annual Chamber of Commerce banquet.

4Software that will allow hotels and restaurants to contact meeting planners is being used.