This spring, the City of Lincoln moved to keep the Hotel Motel Tax, which will help fund their new tourism initiative, separate from the Logan County Tourism Bureau. 

Lincoln Mayor Tracy Welch explains part of its tourism plan was hiring a Tourism Director. Scott McCoy, former Mayor of Pontiac, has stepped into the role and is known for his impact on Route 66 tourism in Pontiac, as well as his role in the Giant's Museum in Atlanta, IL. 

Officially, McCoy is a consultant to the city. While they currently have a year-to-year contract with him, Mayor Welch hopes to have a long relationship with him as they try to bring more tourism to Lincoln. 

Tourism has always been a big part of Lincoln's income as a community; however, the Mayor says some citizens might be skeptical of the direction they are going. He reminds that they are making this move with the best intentions and the goal of putting Lincoln back on the map. 

The Mayor indicates with the separation of Lincoln Tourism from the Logan County Tourism Bureau, the relationship between the two entities was rocky to start. He notes that while this decision does take dollars away from the Logan County Tourism Bureau, it was not the reason for the layoffs that happened around that time. 

The 100-year anniversary of Route 66 will be taking place next year, and Mayor Welch says the milestone was a driving factor in the decision to take over tourism. 

Route 66 was built in 1926 and is an integral part of tourism in many communities from Los Angeles to Chicago. The City of Lincoln is pushing to make that a focus of its tourism in the future.