Current Issues

Issues come in the form of pending legislation, regulations, or they may be brought to our elected officials proactively as a way to make Ohio stronger. Regardless of their origins, the following issues are those that the Ohio Travel Association and its partners have tackled lately.

Top Issues Currently:

Fact Sheet: Ohio Tourism Economic Impact and Power of Destination Promotion  (Ongoing)

Tourism Ohio Funding Request (2023)

Hotel Definition 2023 Amendment (2023)

ODNR 2023 Budget  (2023)

America 250-Ohio Budget  (2023)

Prior to the pandemic, OTA surveyed industry members to identify what's most important to sustaining and growing the travel economy. Read more about the results here.   

If there is an issue, policy, regulation or rule that concerns your business or organization, please contact Melinda Huntley, Ohio Travel Association Executive Director, at mhuntley@ohiotravel.org.

Telling the Story of the Ohio Travel Economy

Fact Sheet: Ohio Tourism Economic Impact and Power of Destination Promotion (Ongoing)

Summer Jobs are a Ticket to Success (and Higher Salaries) (Ongoing)

Improving the Business Climate in Ohio

Preserve the J-1 Summer Work Travel Program  (Pending)

Encourage Use of Earned Vacation Time (Ongoing)

Federal Government Shutdown Threatens Travel Economy (Resolved)

Opposing Sales Tax Expansion to Services and Admissions (Defeated)

Changing the Way Online Travel Companies Remit Taxes in Ohio (Pending)

Permitting Elected Officials to Sit on CVB Boards  (Resolved)

Increasing Ohio’s Competitiveness in the Tourism Market

Amend Proposed Law to Enforce Additional Oversight on Advertising Expenditures (Resolved)

Restore Funding for Brand USA (Passed) 

Proposed Efforts to Increase Agritourism (Passed)

Hotel Definition 2023 Amendment (2023)

Tourism Ohio Funding Request 2023)

Attracting International and National Sporting Events to the State (Passed)

Encouraging Schools to Start Post Labor Day (Ongoing)

Making Ohio’s Guests Feel Welcome

Travel Information Center Brochure Distribution (Distribution Resolved)

Dogs Permitted on Dining Patios  (Passed)

Protecting Ohio’s Competitive Advantage

Eliminating Algal Blooms on Lake Erie and Inland Lakes (Ongoing)

ODNR 2023 Budget  (2023)

America 250-Ohio Budget  (2023)