The Tourism Development Council is discussing revisions to DeSoto County’s Tourism Development Marketing Grant, including increasing the maximum award from 3000 to 5000 dollars and allowing the grant to cover additional marketing services. This directly affects how local organizations can fund advertising and promotional work for tourism events, and responds to rising media and advertising costs noted by council members. The program guidelines already include an annual, publicly advertised application and scoring process using a selection committee, but the specific expanded uses and higher cap are still under discussion and will shape future solicitations. This is commercially relevant for marketing, media, creative, and tourism-promotion vendors who can either help applicants design campaigns and grant applications or partner with the county and grantees to provide eligible services under the revised rules. A practical next step is to engage Tourism Development staff to understand what “additional marketing services” they want to include and how outside vendors can be positioned as preferred providers or collaborators for grant applicants once the revisions are adopted.

Current program cap is 3000 per award with 25 percent match; revision would raise the cap and broade...