Visit Jackson is encouraging support for Jackson restaurants through a grant program aimed at providing monetary relief.
A Tourism Water Crisis Sustainability Grant program was announced that will be supported by Visit Jackson reserve funds to assist the hospitality industry, which has been plagued by COVID-19 and the ongoing Jackson water crisis.
According to Ken Crotwell, a chef and restaurant consultant and former Visit Jackson board member who serves as a consultant for the program said the grant is tiered based on business size.
Visit Jackson Board of Directors has identified $50,000 in funding to reimburse identified sector partners for ice, water, and soft drink expenditures. Additional funds are expected from local and national destination management organizations and tourism partners that have expressed a desire to give. Details of the program can be found here.
The reimbursement program is intended for Jackson lodging and restaurant, along with museum and attraction industry partners who prepare and serve meals onsite. Participants must provide documents proving that they collect and remit the special tourism levy that funds the official Jackson, Mississippi Destination Management Organization (DMO), Visit Jackson, to the Mississippi Department of Revenue.
Dr. Rickey Thigpen, President and CEO of Visit Jackson, proclaimed, “The City With Soul is open for business,” and challenged all Jackson residents as well as Mississippians who live, work, and play around the capital region to support the capital city’s restaurant community — “Dine & Drink in Jackson!”
