Route 66 Alliance, Inc.

PROJECT PURPOSE

This proposal offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to maximize Oklahoma?s exposure to the world stage. Working with 45 communities of all sizes along the 410 miles of historic Route 66, the Route 66 Alliance will showcase the best of each community and help prepare them to receive tens of thousands of visitors when enthusiasts from around the world descend on Oklahoma in 2026 to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Route 66. As part of this request, we will also create a new icon for the Mother Road that will establish a state-of-the-art, nothing-else-like-it, 10,000 sq. ft. augmented reality Route 66 interpretive center, complimented by a 75-room boutique motel, restaurant, gift shop, swimming pool, and outdoor movie screen reminiscent of a drive-in theatre! From our Native American heritage to our museums, roadside attractions, and restaurants, we will showcase the best of Oklahoma and position our state for excellence over the next 100 years. Rounding out our request will be support for our Oklahoma Department of Tourism ? to provide sufficient resources to market Oklahoma's Route 66 as an international destination.

EVIDENCE

According to the Tulsa Regional Chamber, visitor spending fell 32% in 2020, after a 17% increase from 2015-2019. In 2020, Hotel Room revenue retained was 63% of 2019 numbers. With a focus on tourism, this proposal will assist communities large and small in capturing that national and international tourism market. The Route 66 Experience in Tulsa is creating a safer way to stay in the community with exterior-facing doors allowing travelers to avoid congested registration areas. And the increased tourism-focused dollars will allow us to capture a larger international market.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

Small towns across Oklahoma were negatively impacted during the pandemic due to reduced sales tax and hotel/motel tax generation created by the lockdown and related reduced tourism. The service industry (restaurants and hotels/motels) were the hardest hit and have been disproportionately impacted by a downtown in tourism. This sector has yet to fully recover. Helping communities enhance tourism by investing in attractions and projects that draw national and international visitors to Oklahoma will allow these communities to recover and rebuild faster, creating a foundation for sustained development.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

Project performance will be measured by 1) completion of the Route 66 Experience, 2) a performance plan developed for each of the 45 communities along Route 66 and documentation of what percentage of those plans were executed, and 3) development of a demographic data collection plan for each community and collection and comparison of that data in both a control year (2024-2025) and the actual centennial year of Route 66 (2025-2026).

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

One-time project will not need continued funding