Hamilton County, Indiana
Hamilton County Tourism Destination Master Plan & Placemaking Action Plan
Hamilton County Tourism and the Hamilton County Sports Authority engaged Hunden Partners in developing a ten-year Tourism Master Plan and Action Plan for Hamilton County, Indiana. The County wanted Hunden Partners’ expert analysis to help them understand existing tourism demand and identify strategies to stimulate economic impact. Specific to those questions were the county’s four rapidly growing cities: Noblesville, Carmel, Fishers, and Westfield. A multidisciplinary team of experts in tourism, sports, travel, entertainment, and events assessed Hamilton County’s current and future visitor economy. The Tourism Master Plan and Action Plan identified primary strategy outcomes for the County to implement.
Situation
Hunden Partners was engaged by Hamilton County Tourism and the Hamilton County Sports Authority to develop a 10-year comprehensive Tourism Master Plan and Action Plan (Plan) for Hamilton County, Indiana. Funded through a federal EDA Travel, Tourism, and Outdoor Recreation grant, the County sought to understand existing tourism demand and stimulate economic impact for its four fast-growing Indiana cities: Carmel, Noblesville, Fishers, and Westfield. The multidisciplinary Hunden Team included tourism, travel, sports, entertainment, and event industry experts from MMGY NextFactor, Tourism Economics, Legacy Sports Group, and Sports Facilities Groups.
Approach
Hunden completed a detailed assessment of the current and future state of the County’s visitor economy. The Team evaluated stakeholder engagement findings, visioning sessions, comparable destination profiles, workforce and DEI initiatives, and financing strategies. The analysis also included a review of the history of the County’s tourism industry and assets, current assets and performance, and opportunities for growth across four major market segments. These efforts resulted in the final Master Plan, which identified three primary strategy outcomes: a Tourism Investment Priorities Plan, a Tourism Financial Sustainability Plan, and a Tourism Workforce Development Strategy.
Impact
Hunden has been conducting deeper market and financial feasibility analyses for the top eight recommended future Projects and developing per-Project Return on Investment (ROI) analyses for proposed developments throughout the County as part of the Business of Entertainment, Sport and Tourism (BEST) Investment Fund. Projects evaluated to date include:
- Westfield Grand Park Entertainment District Development
- Carmel Food Hall
- Koteewi Park Year-Round Programming and Expansion Development
- Forest Park Aquatic Center
