COLUMBUS – Ohio will be “The Heart of it All” once again.
Gov. Mike DeWine, First Lady Fran DeWine, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, and Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik reintroduced the tagline, which was the state’s tourism slogan between 1984 and 2001, during Wednesday’s Ohio Tourism Day observances around the state.
The new marketing strategy represents a shift in emphasis from attracting visitors to converting those visitors into permanent residents by emphasizing the message that Ohio offers job opportunities, family-friendly communities, and a great quality of life in addition to tourist destinations and attractions, DeWine said.
“As Ohio evolves into a powerhouse for technology and innovation, we’re looking at the classic ‘Ohio, The Heart of it All tagline in a new way,” DeWine said. “Our state is thriving, and we want the world to know that Ohio is the heart of technology, the heart of opportunity, the heart of adventure, and the heart of family.”
The refreshed brand will be promoted through social media posts and broadcasting set to the song “Must be the Love” by Wesley Bright & The Honeytones, a soul band from Akron.
The tourism industry brought in a record $53 billion in visitor spending from 233 million visitors from Ohio and other states in 2022, according to figures released by TourismOhio, a division of the Department of Development.
These represent solid increases over 2021’s numbers, when the tourism industry generated $46.9 billion in visitor spending and attracted 219 million visitors.
Over 400,000 Ohioans are employed full-time or as seasonal employees in the tourism sector.