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The Arts Drive Tourism Each of the nonresident survey respondents (i.e., those who live outside Indian River County) were asked about the purpose of their trip: 71.0 percent indicated that the primary purpose of their visit to Indian River County was "specifically to attend this arts/cultural event." This finding demonstrates the power of the arts to attract visitors to the community. The audience -intercept survey also asked nonresident attendees if they would have traveled somewhere else (instead of to Indian River County) if the event where they were surveyed had not occurred: 50.3 percent of nonresident attendees would have "traveled to a different community to attend a similar cultural event." Of the 25.1 percent of arts attendees who are nonresidents, 7.3 percent reported an overnight lodging expense. Not surprisingly, nonresident attendees with overnight expenses spent considerably more money per person during their visit to Indian River County than did nonresident attendees without overnight lodging expenses ($222.35 and $31.52, respectively). For this analysis, only one night of lodging expenses is counted toward the audience expenditure, regardless of how many nights these cultural tourists actually stayed in the community. This conservative approach ensures that the audience -spending figures are not inflated by non -arts -related spending. The Arts Retain Local Dollars The survey also asked local resident attendees about what they would have done if the arts event that they were attending was not taking place: 43.2 percent of resident attendees said they would have "traveled to a different community to attend a similar cultural event." The cultural tourism findings on this page demonstrate the economic impact of the nonprofit arts and culture industry in its truest sense. If a community fails to provide a variety of artistic and cultural experiences, not only will it fail to attract new dollars from cultural tourists, it will also lose the discretionary spending of its own residents who will travel elsewhere for a similar experience. "As a banker, I have visited businesses in almost every city and town in my state. There is a visible difference in places with a vibrant arts community. I see people looking for places to park, stores staying open late, and restaurants packed with diners. The business day is extended and the cash registers are ringing!" Ken Fergeson, Chairman, NBC Oklahoma Past President, American Bankers Association E AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS I Arts R Economic Prosperity 5 1-4