Mississippi’s tourism industry generates $18.1 billion in total economic impact, supports more than 136,000 jobs and delivers more than $1.1 billion annually to the state’s general fund. It is Mississippi’s fourth-largest industry and one of our strongest economic engines. These dollars fund priorities Mississippians care deeply about, including education, healthcare and infrastructure, providing a massive revenue stream that offsets the cost of public services for every resident without raising taxes. Tourism has proven its value, delivered its return, and is ready to be aligned for greater long-term growth.
That is exactly why elevating Visit Mississippi to a cabinet-level agency makes sense. Senate Bill 2016, the Mississippi Tourism Reorganization Act, does not expand bureaucracy or significantly increase government spending. Rather, it restructures the existing tourism function, aligning it as a standalone, cabinet-level entity, allowing one of Mississippi’s most productive industries to operate more efficiently, strategically and competitively.
Neighboring states like Alabama, Tennessee and Arkansas have already elevated tourism leadership to cabinet-level positions. They understand that tourism is not just about visitors, but it is also a primary driver of competitiveness, workforce attraction, and community vitality. In a competitive marketplace, Mississippi cannot afford to under position one of its most reliable economic engines.
Tourism is also one of our most effective tools for addressing a challenge that keeps many leaders up at night: brain drain. People do not choose where to live based solely on job openings. They choose places that offer quality of life, cultural vibrancy, outdoor recreation and a sense of belonging. Tourism development strengthens all of those elements. A revitalized downtown, a festival, a trail system or a thriving food scene improves life for residents first, while also attracting visitors and investment.
That is why tourism is often called the front door to economic development. No company relocates, no entrepreneur invests, and no family moves without first experiencing a place. Tourism shapes that first impression, and that impression shapes long-term growth and Mississippi’s brand image.
Yet despite this outsized return, tourism currently operates several layers removed from executive leadership, housed within the Mississippi Development Authority, our state’s economic development agency. MDA has done important work and seen historic wins in industrial recruitment under Gov. Tate Reeves’ leadership, and that success should be preserved and celebrated while allowing tourism to move toward a more specialized model.
Tourism plays a complementary role to economic development and has distinct goals, timelines and performance measures that differ from traditional economic development efforts. Tourism strategy is most effective when guided by tourism professionals who are accountable for results and able to move at the speed of the market, focusing on consumer sentiment and constantly evolving travel trends.
Instead of forcing tourism decisions through multiple layers of administrative oversight, the passage of S.B. 2016 will reduce bureaucracy, accelerate decision-making and improve coordination at the highest levels of state government. This is not expansion. It is alignment.
Mississippi has already seen what happens when tourism is treated as a strategic investment rather than a discretionary expense. After the legislature implemented a performance-based, dedicated tourism funding model in 2019 and invested federal ARPA dollars to help destinations recover from the pandemic, Mississippi emerged as a national leader in tourism recovery. That investment produced historic and measurable returns in visitor spending, sales tax revenue, and job creation, even during uncertain economic times, proving that when we prioritize this industry, it delivers.
As remaining ARPA dollars dry up at the end of 2026, Mississippi faces a potential funding cliff after several years of record-breaking visitor impacts. To remain the consistent, multi-billion-dollar producer the state has come to depend on, we must ensure Visit Mississippi has the structure and authority necessary to compete efficiently in an increasingly competitive global landscape.
Elevating Visit Mississippi to a cabinet-level agency ensures tourism is fully integrated into statewide strategy alongside workforce development, site selection, and infrastructure planning. It allows MDA to remain focused on its core mission while enabling tourism leadership to do the same.
Most importantly, S.B. 2016 respects taxpayers. This bill does not raise taxes, does not duplicate services and does not create a new bureaucracy. It strengthens oversight, improves accountability and positions one of Mississippi’s most reliable revenue-generating industries to deliver even greater returns.
Mississippi has long been known as the Hospitality State. Our people, culture and sense of place are unmatched. Elevating tourism leadership simply ensures our state government structure reflects the actual market value of an industry that already delivers billions in economic impact and helps fund the services Mississippians depend on.
Supporting SB 2016 is not about growing government. It is about recognizing performance, prioritizing results, and ensuring Mississippi’s fourth-largest industry is positioned to compete, grow, thrive and win in the years ahead.
This MFP Voices opinion essay reflects the personal opinion of its author(s). The column does not necessarily represent the views of the Mississippi Free Press, its staff or board members. To submit an opinion for the MFP Voices section, send up to 1,200 words and sources fact-checking the included information to voices@mississippifreepress.org. We welcome a wide variety of viewpoints.