tourism jobs indianapolis

Your browser is not supported for this experience. We recommend using Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari.

• Partnership
• Indy's Destination Vision
• Privacy Policy

Plan a Meeting

Sign up for trip ideas, opportunities to receive prize packs, and more!

Visit Indy Team

Visit Indy's 3P culture promotes employees to be Productive, Positive, and Progressive.

Visit Indy: The Official Host of Indianapolis

As Visit Indy, it's our mission to enhance the quality of life in Indianapolis by optimizing visitor-related economic impact. And that job has never been more energizing or more rewarding than it is right now. As an unprecedented level of cooperation between business and government boosts Indianapolis to a completely new level, we're reveling in the opportunity to show our city off. Interested in connecting with Visit Indy? Here are some helpful links:

• Contact Visit Indy Staff
• Visit Indy Management Team

Board of Directors

• Career Opportunities
• Community Report
• Destination Vision

Our international airport has been named top in North America consistently for the last decade. We're expanding our convention center, which—coupled with Lucas Oil Stadium—offers 745,000 square feet of exhibit space, making it one of the largest convention facilities in the United States. And that facility is linked by climate-controlled skywalks to more hotel rooms than in any other city (12 hotels and 4,700 rooms). It's all come together to make ours a natural, top-pick convention city.

Assisted by our promotion, the Indianapolis tourism industry is taking a giant leap forward—a leap that will add to what is already a significant contribution to our city and state economy. Our most recent (pre-pandemic) figures show Indianapolis receiving 29.2 million annual visitors, who spend roughly $5.6 billion dollars. Visitor spending supports more than 82,900 full-time equivalent employment positions in our hospitality industry. Tourism also produces $1.26 billion in tax receipts each year - including $725 million in state and local government tax. Tourism is big business and it is helping Indy race ahead.

In recent years, our efforts on behalf of the city have won multiple national industry awards (including the Gold Service Award from  Meetings & Conventions , the Pinnacle Award from  Successful Meetings  and the Distinctive Achievement Award from  Association Convention and Facilities ). We're proud of those awards. But we're never satisfied. Which is why we will continue pushing ourselves harder, to push our city even higher.

Visit Indy is proudly certified through The Good Wages Initiative which celebrates Marion County employers who provide full-time employees both a wage of at least $18/hr and access to health insurance benefits.

Visit Indy Equity Statement

Visit Indy has proudly served as Indianapolis’ official destination marketing organization since 1923. We are committed to ensuring Indy continues to be a welcoming destination for all. We are focused on continually learning about inequities within our Black, Brown, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ communities; as well as for those with different physical and/or neurodevelopmental abilities or challenges, those with different religious beliefs, and all those Marginalized. With this continued learning comes continued advocacy to close gaps in our community. We listen and engage with our city’s diverse communities to create authentic marketing to reach, invite, and welcome a diverse array of visitors. Within our walls, we work to create an environment where everyone feels empowered to bring their full, authentic selves to work. Indiana means “Land of the Indians,” and we acknowledge and honor the indigenous communities native to our city, the Miami and Lenape peoples. We have the distinct responsibility to help educate our visitors and our hospitality community about these living cultures.

Management Team

State of tourism, indy accolades.

Indiana did not see an influx of traffic on solar eclipse day like predicted. What happened?

Indiana State Police expected thousands of visitors to view the total solar eclipse. Governor Eric Holcomb even signed and emergency order. But the state didn't see nearly the number of tourists expected.

The April 8 solar eclipse was predicted to be big day for Indiana tourism, and while in many ways it still was, the crowds were not what local officials predicted.

Here's what happened during the 2024 total solar eclipse.

Read more from the Herald-Times: Eclipse day was sunny in Indiana. Where were the crowds?

Bloomington's numbers were lower than expected

Instead of 300,000 spectators, as multiple officials projected, Bloomington saw tens of thousands, according to early estimates, The Herald-Times reported .

While the smaller-than-expected crowds enabled the city to escape snarled traffic, the overestimates also kept some Bloomington residents from leaving their homes and attending the local events,  including those at Switchyard Park and Memorial Stadium .

At the Bloomington Police Department, officers of all ranks were scheduled to work 12-hour shifts. But they were cut to 10 hours as the day progressed and the anticipated crowds failed to appear.

Nashville also saw lower numbers than predicted

Between 50,000 and 100,000 eclipse viewers were expected in Nashville and Brown County, an estimated 20,000 showed up.

Indianapolis saw the most tourists, but still lower than estimated

Indiana State Police told IndyStar in March they were expecting about as much traffic for the eclipse as the city sees for the Indy 500, which can be anywhere from 200,000 to 250,000 visitors.

Clare Clark, senior communications manager for Visit Indy, confirmed that Indianapolis welcomed 125,000 visitors for the eclipse, with representation from all 50 states and 35 countries.

Why was solar eclipse viewing attendance lower than expected?

According to NASA, the path of totality for this year’s eclipse was between 108 and 122 miles wide, or about 72% wider, at the high end, than the eclipse in 2017. This year, about 31.6 million people lived in the path of totality, compared with 12 million in 2017.

The eclipse this year also passed over “more cities and densely populated areas” than in 2017, NASA said.

That meant people had more options as to where to travel, reducing the likelihood of congestion for any particular area.

Several Indiana cities had reported chances of cloud cover during the eclipse, which may have also been a reason fewer tourists came to Indiana, but neither Indianapolis or Bloomington ended up having any clouds block the view of the solar event.

Schools being closed for the day also helped reduce normal traffic in cities.

Local events, tourism still saw success despite fewer visitors than planned

Despite getting fewer visitors than planned, several cities in the state still saw great success.

Airbnb said Indianapolis was the #1 most booked destination within the path of totality and there was a virtual sell-out of hotel rooms on Sunday night ahead of the eclipse, Visit Indy said.

Visit Indy also broke their record for the most website traffic in a single day on the day of the eclipse, meaning tourists and locals were looking for things to do.

Mike McAfee, executive director of Visit Bloomington, said hotels and short-term rentals were “near capacity,” though he won’t have final data until later this month.

IU spokesman Mark Bode said the university hosted “tens of thousands of visitors and students across at least seven separate events,” including “nearly 10,000” at Memorial Stadium.

Katie Wiseman is a trending news intern at IndyStar. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @itskatiewiseman .

College Sports | UF’s Ricky Pearsall sees NFL draft stock rise…

Share this:.

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on X (Opens in new window)

Daily e-Edition

Evening e-Edition

• Mike Bianchi Commentary
• Orlando Magic
• Orlando City SC
• Orlando Pride
• UCF Knights
• FSU Seminoles
• UM Hurricanes
• High School Sports

College Sports

College sports | uf’s ricky pearsall sees nfl draft stock rise amid deep 2024 class.

GAINESVILLE — Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall continued to elevate, raised his outstretched right arm and snagged the football out of the night sky under the lights of the Swamp.

A one-handed, 27-yard reception Sept. 23 against Charlotte instantly ranked among the best in the Gators’ illustrious history, soon went viral on social media and signaled the 23-year-old’s arrival as one of the SEC’s top pass-catchers.

Pearsall’s hands, hops and fearlessness were on full display. His rise has continued ever since, positioning him as one of the top receivers in a jam-packed 2024 NFL Draft class.

He will learn where he lands beginning with Thursday’s first round. Rounds 2 and 3 are Friday, followed Saturday by rounds 4-7.

“It’s a strong receiver group where it would be easy to get lost in the shuffle; he’s not going to be lost in that group,” longtime ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. told the Orlando Sentinel. “I see no way he gets out of the second round. It wouldn’t shock me if he went early in the second round.”

Pearsall entered 2023 with NFL promise, but with a mid-round grade and much to prove.

He led the Gators with 65 receptions and 965 receiving yards, along with 5 touchdowns. Pearsall finished 35 yards shy of becoming UF’s first 1,000-yard receiver since Taylor Jacobs, whose 1,088 in 2002 helped earn him the No. 44 selection in the 2003 draft.

Pearsall was just getting started.

A strong performance during January’s Senior Bowl week bolstered his resumé.

“That’s one of the most beneficial things because you’re actually playing football,” he said March 21 at UF’s Pro Day. “You’re going out there with the pads on.”

When the pads came off at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, Pearsall put on a show March 2 for the NFL’s 32 teams.

At 6-foot-1, 189 pounds, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds, bench-pressed 225 pounds a more-than-respectable 17 times and recorded a 10-foot, 9-inch broad jump along with a 42-inch vertical leap.

“He tested off the charts,” Kiper said.

Pearsall didn’t feel he did anything extraordinary. It was, however, enough for him to sit out Gators Pro Day.

“That was a surprise to them. It wasn’t a surprise to me,” he said of his combine showing. “But as much as I wanted to prove them wrong, I just was trying to prove myself right.”

During receiving drills, Pearsall’s skills were spot on. Yet, soft hands have long been his selling point. Size and speed have been the knock since his days at Arizona State.

After three seasons with the Sun Devils, Pearsall left his Tempe, Ariz., home and the Pac-12 for SEC country to prove himself in the nation’s top football conference and NFL talent producer.

“That SEC logo … it spoke volumes to me when I was making my decision,” he said. “Being able to put on tape that I can excel in the Pac-12 as well as in the SEC was really important for myself. I wanted to go against the best competition.”

Pearsall now will square off against the deepest receiver crop in some time.

Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., LSU’s Malik Nabers and Washington’s Rome Odunze are potential top-10 draft picks. A half dozen or more wideouts are likely be drafted during each of the first two rounds, according to Kiper.

Kiper projects Pearsall No. 10 among his peers. But perhaps no one’s stock has risen more in the entire draft.

“Based on where he was in August to where he is now, you could make that argument,” Kiper said.

Pearsall is keeping quiet. To him, whatever happens this week is inevitable.

“This is something that I’ve always wanted,” he said. “So I’ve expected this. It’s just a blessing.”

Edgar Thompson can be reached at [email protected]

More in College Sports

College Sports | Judge orders Florida State and ACC to mediation in latest legal round

SUBSCRIBER ONLY

College sports | hurricanes defensive linemen jared harrison-hunte, jayden wayne will reportedly enter the transfer portal.

Showcase offered insight into Seminoles’ priorities

College Sports | FAU transfer G Alijah Martin will join Gators basketball