Once famously called “America’s Ethiopia” by Jesse Jackson on 60 Minutes in the mid-1980s due to its substandard housing stock and high level of poverty, Tunica, Miss., has rebounded to become a premier gaming destination that is also bringing cultural and non-casino activities to the table.
“It was one of the poorest counties in the U.S.,” says Webster Franklin, president and CEO of the Tunica CVB (www.tunicamiss.org) “We had an unemployment rate of 26.2 percent in January 1992, and now it’s about 8 percent. We have roughly 16,000 jobs today and 11,500 residents, so there are now more jobs in Tunica County than residents.”
Located about 30 minutes south of Memphis, Tenn., Tunica now draws more than 15 million visitors each year to its nine casinos. The destination offers approximately 6,300 hotel rooms, more than 50 restaurants, over 400 table games and 14,000 slots, and about 140,000 square feet of meeting space, according to figures from the Tunica CVB.
Major new attractions include the $26 million Tunica RiverPark & Museum, at which delegates can take cruises on the 400-passenger Tunica River Queen riverboat, which plies the mighty Mississippi with three daily cruises, including a nightly dinner sailing with entertainment.
Increasing in popularity via a massive statewide push is the celebration of the state’s blues culture, with the Mississippi Delta—called the cradle of the blues—in particular.
“With the advent of the Mississippi Blues Trail there are historic markers all over Mississippi,” Franklin says. “Rock and roll was born from the blues, and many forms of music came from the Delta, and the tourism community is actively promoting that. We can put together a slide trip—a four-hour bus trip—to learn about the culture of the area.”
Other activity options include golf tournaments at local courses, including Tunica National Golf & Tennis, which features a new 212-acre, 18-hole public championship links and a 20,000-square-foot clubhouse. River Bend Links and Cottonwoods provide two other championship course options. The Tunica Sports Complex offers a 38,770-square-foot Aquatic Center with an OIympic-size pool, four baseball/softball fields, basketball courts, and a professional boxing facility.
Besides all of the entertainment and gaming action at casinos, Tunica is also maximizing visitor attractions in its downtown area.
“We have the Tunica Museum, which really chronicles the life of small-town Mississippi, so there are a lot of cultural opportunities for people outside of the area that planners can take advantage of, too,” Franklin says. “You can always do off-sites there.”
While Memphis International Airport is where visitors arrive on scheduled flights, Tunica Airport provides charter service and is gearing up for scheduled service in the future.
“The airport today is the third-busiest in the state, strictly doing charter business,” Franklin says. “It has an 8,500-foot runway and is about to build a complete terminal. We’ve met with all the major airlines, so hopefully in the next five years we’ll have true air service coming in.”
Franklin, who has been with the CVB since 1994, says that besides all of the entertainment options available in Tunica, a major driver for meetings business are agreeable room rates and the willingness of local casino operators to aggressively court groups.
“Value is No. 1 in today’s economy,” he says, “and planners are looking for value. You’re able to have a lower room rate in a quality property, and a lot of times you’ll get good food and beverage rates as a complement to your business.”
