Go Lake Havasu delivered its annual update to the Lake Havasu City Council on Oct. 14, reporting summer-quarter visitor metrics, marketing results and planned event and technology investments funded by the city’s transaction privilege tax (TPT) allocation.

Sean Buckley, speaking "on behalf of Go Lake Havasu," described the organization as the city’s tourism-marketing division funded by TPT revenue and operating as a nonprofit. He told council that Go Lake Havasu’s fiscal-year-end figures showed roughly $4.2 million in TPT revenue generated for the destination and that the organization is allocated about $1.6 million for operating and capital this fiscal year.

Why it matters: Tourism-generated TPT funds support local events, the visitor center and marketing intended to draw visitors whose spending contributes to local businesses and sales-tax collections. Buckley said the organization tracks visitor demographics and spending to target markets and to explain residents’ contribution to the revenue stream.

Key points from the presentation
- Funding model: Buckley said Go Lake Havasu is funded exclusively through TPT collections (about 1% from restaurant/bar and 3% from hotel/motel). The presentation noted the split of TPT receipts approximated 49% restaurant and 51% hotel/motel, and staff figures place the organization’s FY allocation at roughly $1,600,000.
- Visitor numbers and spending: Buckley cited prior studies indicating roughly 1.7–2.0 million visitors annually versus about 60,000 residents. He said higher-income visitors (about 36–40% in the >$150,000 bracket in the summer quarter) are a significant spending cohort; local businesses accounted for roughly 34% of visitor spending, a year-over-year increase.
- Marketing wins and operations: Buckley highlighted earned-media recognition including USA Today reader-voted lists, discussed paid and earned media programs, and described social-media performance and paid campaigns targeted at Phoenix, Los Angeles and other regional markets. He reported the Go Lake Havasu Visitor Center saw sales increase about 13% year over year and visitation rose about 8%.
- Tools and initiatives: Buckley previewed a destination-directory portal to let businesses manage listings and events on the city website, expanded event sponsorship (including taking a title role for First Friday and London Bridge Days Parade), and a new newsletter pilot with initial open/click metrics.

Council questions and comments
- Council member David Diaz asked whether the rodeo was being prioritized; Buckley said the rodeo is an emerging attraction but that signature events such as Desert Storm and IJSBA currently receive greater promotion and resource allocation. Buckley told the council he would continue to support rodeo promotion and noted events are prioritized where marketing dollars and staff can have the greatest impact.
- Several council members thanked Buckley and his board for promoting London Bridge Days and other community events and for the organization’s work linking tourism to local economic development and real-estate interest.

Clarifying details presented by Buckley
- Go Lake Havasu legal/form status: described as a tax-exempt nonprofit (501(c)(6) cited in the presentation).
- FY allocation and revenue figures: gross TPT attributable to destination just shy of $4.2 million; allocated operating/capital approximately $1.6 million.
- Estimate of resident contribution to restaurant/bar TPT ranged broadly in staff materials presented from about $30,000 at the low end to about $430,000 at an upper threshold based on different attribution methods; Buckley emphasized the variance and presented both figures to show the uncertainty and the rationale used for allocation analysis.

Ending
Buckley asked for continued council support and committed to recurring briefings; council members suggested a six-month update cadence so elected officials and the public can track how tourism dollars are spent.