The Mobile Tourism Improvement District (MTID) earned approval for renewal from the Mobile City Council at today’s weekly council meeting in a 6 – 0 vote. This comes after years of work and collaboration between the Mobile Area Lodging Corporation (MALC), the City of Mobile, Visit Mobile and the entire hotel community. 

MTID, an ordinance initially adopted in May 2020, is an assessment district providing specific benefits to invested hotel properties, by funding targeted marketing and sales promotion efforts and capital improvements. The initial rate was set at $1 per occupied room per night for all short-term lodging businesses with 40 or more available rooms within city limits.

During the five-year term, the assessment rate will range from 1 – 2%.

“We have more support for the renewal of this TID than we did for the formation, that says the results are there,” said Kent Blackinton, President of both MALC and Mobile Area Lodging Association, and General Manager of Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza Hotel. “These funds will provide the batteries to power the future assets for Mobile, including Mobile International Airport, Amtrak passenger rail service and the Civic Center project,” said Margo Gilbert, Vice President of MALC and General Manager of Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel & Spa.

“This is the very best tourism public-private partnership a destination could have,” echoed David Clark, President and CEO of Visit Mobile. “Mobile was the first city in the state to do it and today, we are celebrating being the first city in the state to renew it. We are grateful to our lodging community for their continued innovation, teamwork and big-picture thinking for our entire city – united and together is always better.”

In the first five years of the ordinance, key marketing efforts included:

  • Approximately $3.4 million spent on marketing promotions including Carnival Spirit, air service, lodging, attractions, events and Mobile’s arts, culture and history.
  • More than $335,000 allocated towards capital Improvement projects. 
  • $12.5 million generated in trackable economic impact from 2021-2023 campaigns alone.

MALC invested capital funds from the TID into projects such as Africatown Heritage House, a beautification project in Tillman’s Corner, the purchase of volleyball courts for Mobile Sports Authority and providing additional security into hotels in the I-65 corridor and Tillman’s Corner area.

For more information about the MTID, visit MobileAreaLodgingCorporation.com.