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Staff: Daggett County’s local TRT holding steady even as state sees international travel losses
Summary
County staff reported local Transient Room Tax (TRT) receipts are steady while citing a Gardner Institute estimate of an $8.5 billion national loss in international travel for 2025 and noting possible downstream effects on state TRT grants; staff listed upcoming local events including a PRC rodeo and seniors pancake breakfast.
Daggett County staff said local Transient Room Tax (TRT) revenue appears steady even as national international travel has declined, a trend county staff said could affect state-level TRT grant funding.
At the meeting, a staff member cited a report from the Gardner Institute saying the United States saw an $8,500,000,000 loss in international travel in 2025. "The state of Utah is doing quite well because we have a lot of outdoor recreationists that are moving towards us," the staff member added, noting Utah’s outdoor recreation market is helping blunt some losses.
Staff said the county’s local TRT is "holding pretty steady." They warned that reductions in national or state-level international travel could affect the pool of state TRT dollars used for grants and other programs: "It's more the state TRT, not our local TRT," the staff member said.
County staff also noted local events coming this week: the PRC is holding a rodeo Friday night and Saturday, and a seniors pancake breakfast is scheduled Monday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Staff described supply-chain pressures and tariffs affecting some Southern Utah businesses. One business owner in Zion reported a roughly 25% increase in material costs for certain outdoor-gear components; staff said the owner was absorbing some costs but expected some increases to be passed to buyers if margins cannot cover the rise.
Meeting participants asked what portion of the county’s travel is international. A staff member answered, "We're like a 0.002," as reported in the meeting transcript; the meaning and units of that figure were not clarified on the record.
The remarks were provided during routine updates and no formal action was taken on tourism or TRT funding at the meeting.
