Take me away to Tunica! How casinos hit the jackpot for Tunica, MS.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

To visitors who come to the area, it's called "The South's Casino Capital," but to people who have lived in Tunica for more than 15 years, they call it "The Tunica Miracle."

The year 2007 marks the 15th anniversary of the arrival of gaming in Tunica County. The once sleepy agricultural community has become one of the fastest growing gaming and tourism destinations in the U.S. Today, Tunica boasts nine world-class gaming facilities, 6,300 quality hotel rooms, growing resort amenities, and approximately $1.2 billion in annual gaming revenue.

There are many miracles in the economic resurgence of Mississippi. However, nowhere has there been a more profound impact on economic development than in Tunica County:

* 10-12 million visitors a year (85% out-of-state)

* 16,000 new jobs

* New schools and recreation facilities

* Improved public safety in roads, police, and fire protection

* New cultural and recreational attractions

All of this has happened in just 15 years. Tunica is now more well-positioned than ever to continue growing and contributing to Mississippi's economy, whereas 15 years ago, it was a drain on the economy.

The Tunica Miracle

In the early 1990s, Tunica was one of the poorest counties in America. Its 9,000 residents were almost totally dependent upon its agricultural economy, unemployment was in the double digits, average per capita income was just $10,611, and more than half of the county's residents lived in households receiving food stamps. That all changed in 1990 when the Mississippi Legislature legalized gaming as a way to create badly needed jobs and bring new industry to the river and coastal areas. Tunica's civic and business leaders adopted gaming as part of an economic development strategy, and the "Tunica Miracle" began.

Tunica Tourism

Starting in October 1992 when the first casino (Splash Casino) opened in Tunica, the familiar cha-ching sound of a slot machine payout wasn't the only thing in Tunica that had people talking. Splash Casino created jobs and world-class casino resorts almost overnight. More than $3 billion has since been invested in Tunica, and more than 16,000 new jobs have been created. Subsequently, Tunica County's budget grew from $3.5 million in 1992 to $56.6 million in 2007. Tunica County has created a diversified economy that lives up to its reputation for being one of America's great economic success stories.

More Bang for Your Buck

While the trend in the hotel industry across the country has been lower year-over-year occupancy and higher year-over-year average daily rates, fortunately Tunica is an exception to the trend. Since 2001, the average daily rate in Tunica has gone up less than $10, and in some years rates have even gone below the 2001 level. An even more impressive number is the average daily rate. For 2006, the average daily rate stayed under $62. This average includes luxury suites and completely renovated hotel rooms across the resort area that afford the convenience of staying in a casino with upscale restaurants, championship golf courses, relaxing spas, and outlet shopping, all 20 minutes away from Memphis. Even more remarkable is the year-round hotel occupancy rate for the 6,300 rooms: 92.4 percent for April to September and 81.4 percent for October to March, with most weekends reaching 100.0 percent year-round.

One of the reasons for the hotels' high occupancy rates is the large number of conventions and meetings held in Tunica, and the motor coach groups that travel to the area. From April to September of 2006, there were 480 groups that met in Tunica, ranging from conventions bringing in thousands of people to family reunions bringing in a few dozen visitors. For the motor coach industry, the passengers who came to Tunica last year at six of the casino properties totaled 376,193.

Today in Tunica

Today, Tunica has developed from a pure gaming destination with casinos to one that offers a more diversified tourism product. The area has activities to fit every visitor's interests, with nationally-known entertainers, top-rated sporting events, outlet shopping at Casino Factory Shoppes, or antiquing on Main Street in downtown Tunica, plus museums, golf, and tennis.

* Nine world-class casinos

* 6,300 quality hotel rooms

* Three championship 18-hole golf courses

* Museums--Tunica Museum and Tunica River-Park

* Five dedicated performance halls with headline entertainment

* Factory outlet shopping and antiquing in downtown

* Estimated 10-12 million visitors per year

* Annual revenue of $1.2 billion

Showcasing equine events, sporting events, and trade/ consumer shows, the Tunica Arena & Expo celebrates its 6th anniversary with an impressive record, having booked 182 event days with almost 40,000 attendees having an economic impact of $23 million.

The Tunica RiverPark has welcomed over 100,000 visitors since its opening, while receiving multiple accolades and awards during this time, including Southeast Travel Attraction of the Year. The RiverPark offers a place to discover and experience the Mississippi River with an interactive museum, four large aquariums, riverboat cruises, a walking trail, and an overlook view.

By adding Tunica National Golf & Tennis to the thriving golf product, including Cottonwoods Golf Course at Grand Casino and River Bend Links at Casino Strip Resorts, Tunica has already doubled the number of golf rounds played in a single year. In 2007, the gaming industry began a revitalization of its facilities. Renovations include:

* Fitz Casino & Hotel has completely renovated its lobby, pool/workout area, hallways, and 506 hotel rooms, plus it is remodeling the casino floor and building a new steakhouse.

* Gold Strike is renovating its 800-seat convention center, Millennium Theatre, and has begun remodeling 1,100 hotel rooms.

* In 2006, Harrah's purchased Grand Casino, Horseshoe, and Sheraton and began a multi-million-dollar renovation to the three properties:

[right arrow] Horseshoes 194 hotel rooms were renovated. The Diamond Lounge, Starbucks

[right arrow] Coffee, and a new restaurant, Magnolia: A Delta Grille, were added to the casino/hotel.

[right arrow] Grand Casino Tunica will undergo a $45 million rebranding to Harrah's in mid- 2008. Part of this rebranding effort will include the renovation of 1,150 hotel rooms and the opening of the first Paula Deen Lady & Sons signature restaurant outside Savannah, CA.

In just 15 years, Mississippi's (and America's) most impoverished county has become an economic engine for the state and the Delta region. More than $3.5 billion, both public and private, has been invested in Tunica County.

Economic Development/Industrial Recruitment

Tunica County leadership has made great strides over the past five years in aggressively positioning the county to take advantage of the opportunities associated with the gaming and tourism industry. The goal is to diversify the economy from one strictly dependent upon the service sector and the agriculture industry to a more balanced economy offering a wide array of employment opportunities.

The Tunica Economic Development Foundation has identified over 15,000 acres that are now zoned and suitable for industrial growth opportunities. Foundation members are now educating members of the economic development community of Mississippi and the Mid-South region, as well as national site consultants, on what the county has to offer as a growing community for industrial expansion.

Regionalism

The economic development and industrial recruitment strategy will not be successful by marketing Tunica's attributes alone. In today's competitive environment, prospects are now more than ever before paying greater attention to the attributes of the larger region.

Located just 30 minutes north of Tunica is Memphis, the "Distribution Hub of America" and one of the nation's busiest cities. Memphis enjoys a prime location on I-40, the major American coast-to-coast interstate, and is home to many ports on the Mississippi River as well as one of the most successful shipping businesses in the world--FedEx. With an MSA population of 1.4 million and a highly competitive workforce, Memphis is a national leader in commerce and industry.

Tunica is now part of a coalition with the Memphis Regional Chamber of Commerce to develop a logistics network showing highway access, ports, airports, and connectivity of Tunica to the Mid-South region. This, along with a recent partnership of economic development organizations within northwest Mississippi to market the region's strengths and assets, will further solidify the areas overall economic development objectives.

Together, Memphis and Tunica attract millions of visitors each year who come to enjoy the Mid-South's unique blend of Blues, barbecue, shopping, gaming, dining, and sightseeing. In the fall of 2006, the Tunica CVB formed a first-time partnership with the Memphis CVB to develop a campaign that focused on shared key markets, Birmingham and Huntsville. This was a great opportunity to promote Tunica and Memphis as one destination. And with the opening of I-69, it was even easier to travel between the two cities--just 20 minutes apart. Thus, "Memphis/Tunica--The Winning Combination" was developed.

Interstate 69