Local officials want to ramp up efforts to draw people to Route 66.
Tulsa City Councilor Jeannie Cue said Mother Road tourists stop in Tulsa when they know about the attractions, but there isn’t enough money being spent on marketing to tourists who aren’t aware they should pull off I-44 on their trip.
"And I think we need to find a permanent source to promote Route 66 so these people will spend the night and bring their tax dollars here, visit the Gilcrease, visit our zoo, visit Philbrook," Cue said.
Cue has not settled on a source for that funding.
"I think we need to look at all sources. Nothing that taxed our citizens here, but what we can do to bring some revenue in," Cue said.
Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith said a specialty license plate might work.
"Reflecting our new Route 66 and all the things going on for the Tulsa region would be fantastic for a vanity plate, and with the changes coming now on how you can keep your license tag going forward, I think the time is now," Keith said.
A Route 66 group in Arizona brings in around $200,000 a year through a specialty plate.
Both Cue and Keith are members of the Tulsa Route 66 Commission, a board charged with boosting tourism along Tulsa's stretch of the highway.
The push for more marketing dollars isn’t unique to Tulsa. Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell said the state should be spending more, too.
