Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau
The Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau is a local government entity that promotes tourism in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Little Rock Advertising and Promotion Commission oversees the work of the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau. The Convention and Visitors Bureau is tasked with the maintenance of two major city properties: the Robinson Center and the Statehouse Convention Center in the downtown district of the city. The Bureau enjoys an annual budget of $9.5 million derived from hamburger tax revenues.
Bureau History
The Convention and Visitors Bureau began as the Little Rock Advertising and Promotion Commission in 1970. The commission was funded by a one-cent tax on hotel, motel, and restaurant receipts. The first director of this commission was newspaperman Charles Rixse. One of the commission's first ambitions was renovation of the Robinson Center. The bureau opened the Statehouse Convention Center in 1982.
Directors
- Charles Rixse (1970-1979)
- Barry Travis (1979-2006)
References
- "Cancer Kills 1st Head of LR Visitors Bureau," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, December 29, 2009.
- Kristin Netterstrom, "LR Panel Gets to Work on Restaurant-Tax Study," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, February 16, 2008.
