Heber Valley Tourism presents 2024 report to Midway council; cites $187M visitor spending and marketing plans

Representatives of Heber Valley Tourism presented their annual report to the Midway City Council on March 18, outlining 2024 revenues, marketing activity and how visitor spending contributes to local services.

Dalen, the tourism office executive director, said the office’s 2024 budget totaled roughly $3.1 million, funded largely by transient room tax, state grants and chamber revenue; the 2025 budget was listed at $2.8 million with about 51% budgeted for marketing. “We really love what we do, and we love the community that we represent,” Dalen said during the presentation.

Why it matters: Heber Valley Tourism told the council that visitor spending directly supports local jobs and public services: the office cited a 2023 estimate that visitors generated about $187 million in direct spending in Wasatch County and contributed roughly $37 million in sales tax that offsets local household tax burdens.

Key points from the presentation

- Budget and spending: The office described a $3.1 million budget in 2024 and $2.8 million in 2025, with marketing and operations as the largest line items. Marketing focus includes digital assets, research, traditional media and partnerships.

- Performance metrics: Website sessions increased in 2024 and some ad placements produced large impressions; the agency reported a 2.52% increase in transient room tax collections to just over $4 million in 2024 and a 21% increase in restaurant tax collections to about $1.3 million.

- Grants and local partnerships: The tourism office runs a matching marketing grant program that awarded $50,000 in the most recent round to support event promotion outside the county. The program is intended to turn a $50,000 outlay into roughly $100,000 in local marketing spend through matching requirements.

- Hotel development and tax arrangements: Presenters discussed the Grand Hyatt and other large projects. The tourism office noted that some new hotels in the Midway project (Grand Hyatt, SkyRidge) will not generate transient room tax revenue for the tourism office; those receipts were tied to project infrastructure and will be redirected under negotiated agreements.

Council response and follow-up

Councilmembers asked about how hotel rates and seasonality affect transient room tax and how marketing targets higher‑value winter visitors. Staff said average daily room rates can strongly influence tax collections and that the office targets “opportunity season” periods when rates and visitor spending are higher.

Ending

Councilmembers thanked the tourism office for the briefing and invited the agency to return periodically with updated campaign results and marketing creative. The tourism office said it would continue coordinating with local businesses and the TAB (Tourism Advisory Board) on grant priorities and promotion.