ABSTRACT
The importance of tourism in national and regional development has caused increasing competition in efforts to attract and lure tourists. According to the U.S. Travel Data Center (1995), every state in the United States maintains an agency or division to promote inbound travel. The budget for these offices ranges from $860 thousand in Delaware to over
$22 million in Texas. Across the states, an average amount of $2 million was allocated to state promotional efforts. The bulk of this money is allocated to advertising efforts, with one of the primary objectives being the generation of requests for information packages (e.g., brochures) that have been prepared by the state.
