BALTIMORE, MD (March 2, 2023) — Governor Wes Moore today announced that $1.6 million has been awarded by the Maryland Department of Commerce Office of Tourism to support nine tourism projects across the state. The funding, through the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) $750 million American Rescue Plan: Travel, Tourism & Outdoor Recreation program, provided a total of $510 million in state tourism grants across the country to advance the economic recovery and resiliency of communities where the travel, tourism, and outdoor recreation industries were hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Maryland’s tourism industry – which has shown its strength and determination in recovering from the pandemic – will greatly benefit from additional relief funding,” said Governor Moore. “From Allegany to St. Mary’s to Wicomico counties, this assistance will help upgrade several of our tourism venues, provide workforce training, and boost advertising with the goal of continuing to draw visitors to Maryland.”
The funding is part of the $9.6 million Maryland received from the EDA program early last year. The projects are being awarded on a rolling basis; following are the projects that have received funding so far:
Awardee | Description | Amount |
Historic Sotterley | Purchase two people movers to allow for accessible travel for all visitors. | $75,000 |
St. Mary's Water Taxi | Purchase of a new water taxi to bring visitors to St. Clement's Island State Park that is reliable and accessible from pier to boat. | $219,000 |
Carroll County Farm Museum | Purchase a mobile stage for the Carroll County Farm Museum to increase the viability of the venue to community and not-for-profit groups. | $107,650 |
Town of Leonardtown | Free trolley to reduce emissions and make it easier for people to park further from the city center. | $67,280 |
Frostburg State Outdoor Recreation Economy Workforce Grant Application | Workforce development program including training/certification and internship initiatives to train a workforce to serve the needs of the outdoor recreation economy. | $200,000 |
HCTI Frederick Community College | The purchase of equipment, supplies and materials to equip a much-needed training kitchen to support culinary and hospitality training for the tourism industry. | $250,000 |
Wicomico County, the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce and Salisbury Wicomico Economic Development | A multi-year advertising campaign to target leisure travelers. The initiative is a partnership between the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce and Salisbury Wicomico Economic Development Agency. The intent is to work to bring back the nearly 350 tourism workers that lost jobs during the pandemic. | $250,000 |
Maryland Sports & Education Campus at Hargett Farm | The planning and feasibility report/study that detail the next steps to bring a sports and recreation complex to an economically disadvantaged and diverse community. | $80,000 |
Slack Farms Foundation | The agricultural-based content is based around farm skills such as vegetable gardening, trail making, plant and tree identification, horticultural design and farm safety practices to encourage stewardship and conservation. | $181,954 |
“This is a great partnership between the tourism community, Maryland Commerce, and our federal partners at the U.S. EDA,” said Maryland Commerce Acting Secretary Kevin A. Anderson. “We are pleased to award this round of grants and look forward to seeing these projects come to fruition.”
The department has received nearly 30 applications for this program and anticipates making additional funding announcements in the near future.
