Two-term Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum recalled Tuesday that when he was elected to the city council in 2008, many of the celebrated stops in Tulsa weren’t around.

There was no BOK Center or ONEOK Field. Nonexistent, too, were places such as Gathering Place, Greenwood Rising and The Outsiders House Museum.

“It’s easy to overestimate what you can do in a day and underestimate what you can do in a year,” Bynum told a crowd gathered for the Tulsa Regional Tourism Annual Meeting at the Osage Casino Hotel Tulsa. “In 16 years, the people in this room have built all those things that I just talked about, not all in a year, not in a couple of weeks but with consistent, diligent effort and belief that when we work together, we can do it.

“My ask of you, and it’s the last time I get to talk to you as the mayor, is don’t let up. Keep thinking about what the best cities in the world have and keep building it here in Tulsa. If we keep that focus, then we’re going to continue this remarkable trajectory that we’re on, where we are building the city that we want to leave to future generations.”

Bynum’s inspirational words provided a backdrop for Tulsa Regional Tourism’s showcase event, which was attended by about 250 people and presented by Arvest.

Tulsa Regional Tourism (TRT) is northeast Oklahoma’s premier accredited destination marketing organization. An initiative of the Tulsa Regional Chamber, it includes Visit Tulsa for leisure travel; the Tulsa Convention & Visitors Bureau for meetings and conventions; the Tulsa Sports Commission for amateur and pro sports; and the Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts & Culture.

Tuesday highlighted TRT’s 2023-24 fiscal year, which included a total economic impact ($327.9 million) that exceeded its goal by more than $120 million. The organization also booked nearly 216,000 definite room nights, assisted with 49 film and television productions, and saw a 127% increase in visitors to its website.

“This fiscal year has been an absolute blast,” said Renee McKenney, senior vice president of the Tulsa Regional Chamber and president of TRT. “… We couldn’t do it without this amazing team and the support from our great partners like all of you in this room. It was easily one of the most successful years to date.” 

Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell said tourism is the state’s third-largest industry, trailing only the oil and gas and aviation sectors. Using the most recent available figures, Pinnell said 2022 was the best year for tourism in Oklahoma history.

During 2022, the state’s tourism industry generated an $11.8 billion economic impact, sustained more than 103,000 jobs, welcomed 18 million visitors and churned out more than $800 million in state and local sales taxes.

“Tulsa has become a regional destination,” Pinnell said. “It has become a destination for tourists from the coasts to come to the middle of the country. And absolutely, 100%, you are a destination for international tourists.”

Chamber President and CEO Mike Neal joined McKenney on stage to highlight Bridge to the Future 2030. A joint fundraising campaign between TRT and Tulsa’s Future, the chamber’s regional economic development partnership, Bridge to the Future seeks to secure a minimum of $4.4 million annually for the next five years.

As part of the campaign, the two Chamber divisions want to develop a Tulsa film fund totaling $2.5 million over that span.

Jonathan Huskey, TRT’s director of communications, moderated a formal conversation with Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear.

Standing Bear praised the impact made by the Chamber’s inaugural State of the Tribal Nations event, which was attended by more than 850 people in April and served as a platform for the Cherokee, Osage and Muscogee nations.

Standing Bear also talked about Killers of the Flower Moon, the 2023 movie for which he was a consultant. Filmed primarily in Osage County, the motion picture entertained production offers from several other states, he said.

“There were two (states) in particular, that were really pushing with much larger monetary incentives than Oklahoma could put together,” Standing Bear said. “But Oklahoma did everything it could. The Osage did everything it could. And Tulsa did everything it could. That combination brought that movie here.”

TRT gave out the following awards Tuesday: