>> HELLO AND WELCOME TO INSIDE INDIANA BUSINESS. I'M GERRY DICK. THE INDIANA DESTINATION
DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION IS CELEBRATING ITS FIRST ANNIVERSARY. THE I-D-D-C'S MISSION IS TO PROMOTE, BRAND,
AND TELL INDIANA'S STORY IN AN EFFORT TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN TALENT, BUSINESSES, AND VISITORS.
AND WHAT A YEAR IT HAS BEEN FOR THE TOURISM INDUSTRY IN INDIANA! THE IDDC SAYS TRAVEL IS COMING BACK...AND HAS RESULTS FROM A
JUST-COMPLETED SURVEY THAT SHOWS JUST HOW MUCH COVID-19 IMPACTED THE LEISURE AND TRAVEL-RELATED INDUSTRY AND HOW CONSUMER
SENTIMENT IN THE STATE IS TURNING AROUND. FOR MORE, I'M PLEASED TO WELCOME BACK TO
THE SHOW IDDC SECRETARY AND CEO ELAINE BEDEL. WELCOME. >> HAPPY TO BE HERE. >> THE NORGANIZATION, ONE-YEAR
ANNIVERSARY. >> WE GOT OFF TO A SLOW START BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC. WE HAVE THE ENTITIES SET UP, AS WELL AS
A FOUNDATION THAT WILL SUPPORT THE ENTITY, AND GOT OUR BOARDS IN PLACE. WE DID A LOT OF RESEARCH ON WHAT PEOPLE OUTSIDE
OF INDIANA THINK OF INDIANA. WE DID A STRATEGIC PLAN, GOT THAT IN PLACE, AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE NOW GOTTEN OUR -- HIRED A
CREATIVE AGENCY TO WORK WITH US ON MESSAGING AND WEBSITE AND THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. >> A LOT GOING ON FOR YOUR
ORGANIZATION IN THE STATE AND ALSO TELLING THE INDIANA STORY OUTSIDE OF THE STATE TO ATTRACT TALENT HERE. JULY 4 WEEKEND, BIG
TRAVEL WEEKEND TYPICALLY. HOW WOULD YOU ASSESS THE STATE OF THE TRAVEL, HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY IN THE STATE, OBVIOUSLY VERY
DIFFICULT A YEAR AGO. THINGS COMING BACK? >> ABSOLUTELY. WE WANTED TO MEASURE THAT. A YEAR AGO, WE
STARTED WORKING WITH ROCKPORT ANALYTICS AND LOOKED AT CREATING AN INDEX. AND IT WAS FOUR DIFFERENT VARIABLES,
EPIDEMIOLOGY, WHAT WAS HAPPENING WITH THE PANDEMIC, BUSINESS STRESS AND LABOR STRESS, CONSUMER SENTIMENT AS WELL AS
HIGH FREQUENCY TRAVEL, TSA THROUGHPUT, HOTEL STAYS. WE LOOKED AT THAT INDEX TO 2017 AND SAID WE'LL CALL THAT NORMAL,
THAT WAS 100. AFTER THE PANDEMIC HIT WE STARTED MEASURING IN MAY 2020 WE WENT DOWN TO 55. THAT MEANT WE LOST 45% OF THE
ACTIVITIES IN TRAVEL AND LEISURE AND HOSPITALITY AREA. WE GOT TO ABOUT 66 LAST JUNE. WE DID IT A YEAR LATER. SO MAY OF 2021, AND
WE'RE AT 79. SO STILL ABOUT 21 BELOW TOTAL ACTIVITIES, BUT WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS COMING BACK. CONSUMER SENTIMENT, AS YOU
MENTIONED, IS BUILDING. >> PEOPLE GETTING MORE COMFORTABLE. DESPITE THE FACT THE COMEBACK IS HAPPENING,
EMPLOYMENT IN THIS SECTOR IS DOWN ABOUT 24%. >> YEAH. EVEN THOUGH WE'RE COMING BACK, PEOPLE ARE TRYING
TO HIRE TO GET REOPENED. AND SO WE ARE DOWN STILL ABOUT 24% IN EMPLOYMENT. >> FROM A BUSINESS STANDPOINT,
AND ECONOMIC IMPACT STANDPOINT FOR INDIANA, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY SO IMPORTANT FOR THE STATE'S ECONOMY. IN METRO AREAS,
BUT VERY IMPORTANTLY TO RURAL AND SMALLER COMMUNITIES. >> ABSOLUTELY. IT IS THE RESTAURANTS, ACTIVITIES, ALL
THOSE THINGS OUT THERE THAT REALLY DEPEND ON HOOSIERS TRAVELING AS WELL AS OTHERS COMING TO OUR STATE TO VISIT. IF
YOU LOOK AT INDIANA'S GDP, LEISURE AND HOSPITAL MAKES 10% OF THAT. BIG PART OF ABOUT $37 BILLION. WE WANT THAT BACK
UP. >> PART OF YOUR MISSION AT THE IDDC. PART OF THAT IS SHOWCASING WHAT EXISTS AROUND THE STATE OF
INDIANA. A BUCKET LIST THAT FOLKS CAN SELECT FROM I THINK 50 LOCATIONS ALL OVER THE STATE OF INDIANA.
>> ABSOLUTELY. WE'VE GOT 50 OF THE BEST LOCATIONS IN INDIANA, AND YOU GET TO GO OUT THERE AND SELECT WHICH ONE YOU THINK
SHOULD BE NUMBER ONE, AND YOU CAN VOTE EVERY DAY. BUT ONLY ONCE A DAY, FOR THE DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES. BUT THEY'LL INCLUDE
THINGS LIKE GOLF COURSES, FRENCH LICK AND WINERIES, AND ALL OF THE OTHER ACTIVITIES AROUND INDIANA BEACH AND HOLIDAY WORLD
AND SPLASHING SAFARI. >> IS THAT A BIG PART OF THE CHALLENGE OR OPPORTUNITY TO KIND OF SHOWCASE OR LET PEOPLE KNOW
WHAT IS HERE, THE ASSETS, THE LOCATIONS, THE VENUES THAT ARE AROUND THE STATE. >> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. PEOPLE ARE
SURPRISED THAT THE NUMBER OF ZOOS WE HAVE IN INDIANA. NOT JUST THE INDIANAPOLIS ZOOS. EVANSVILLE, FORT WAYNE. TO HELP
YOU PLAN YOUR TRIP WE HAVE 22 DIFFERENT DAY TRIPS THAT YOU CAN DO THROUGH THE STATE OF INDIANA AND TAKE A QUICK LITTLE
FOUR-QUESTION QUIZ TO HELP DIRECT YOU TO THE RIGHT DAY TRIP TO GET YOU STARTED ON WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO. ROAD TRIP, ONE
DAY OR SEVERAL. >> AS WE WRAP UP, THE MORE THOSE THINGS HAPPEN, THE MORE SOME OF THESE PLACES THAT WERE HURT SO
BADLY ARE GOING TO RECOVER. >> RIGHT. EVEN IF WE CAN BRING PEOPLE FROM OUT OF STATE, IT ALL START WAS A VISIT. PEOPLE HAVE
TO HAVE THAT POSITIVE EXPERIENCE IN INDIANA TO START THINKING ABOUT I COULD MOVE THERE, WORK THERE. I COULD REALLY ENJOY AND
HAVE MY FAMILY AND GOOD WORK-LIFE BALANCE IN INDIANA. THAT'S KIND OF WHAT IT IS, ATTRACT PEOPLE HERE, HAVE THEM
ENJOY HOOSIER HOSPITALITY, AND THEN HOPEFULLY THINK FURTHER IN THE FUTURE TO BE HERE.