Los Alamos tourism board reviews Year 7 progress report as DestinationIQ outlines $1.48 million marketing contract

Los Alamos County’s Lodgers Tax Advisory Board on Nov. 25 reviewed the Year 7 progress report on the tourism implementation plan and heard DestinationIQ, the county’s newly contracted tourism marketing firm, outline its interim marketing plan, reporting cadence and community engagement schedule.

Ellen Felton, staff liaison to the Lodgers Tax Advisory Board, summarized progress on implementation actions 2.1–3.2, including efforts to identify sites and incentives for full‑service hotels, ongoing work to identify parcels and RFPs for RV parks, trail and park improvements, and downtown streetscape and redevelopment activity. Felton noted earlier development attempts—TNJLA LLC’s Marriott‑branded conference center project was terminated in 2022 after the developer could not secure required financing, and a Guest House Hotel site was approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission in January 2025 following a 2024 property sale to Grand Mesa Partners 400 LLC and Townhouse Rental.

"We are continuing to explore all options that will result in the development of another hotel or hotel and conference center," Felton said, adding that many suitable sites are privately owned. She also told the board the packet shows a "total not‑to‑exceed contract agreement amount of $1,483,100" for DestinationIQ’s three‑year contract, which includes base fees and optional services.

DestinationIQ’s account director, Lindsay, said the firm approaches tourism as "destination management," a combination of marketing plus stakeholder engagement, product development and responsible‑tourism practices aimed at balancing visitor growth with resident quality of life. "Every community deserves to be a destination that prospers from the economic impact provided by tourism," Lindsay said, and described a six‑month interim marketing plan (Nov.–April) to be followed by an annual plan starting May 1.

The contractor said it has obtained access to data platforms (including Placer) and will provide monthly, quarterly and annual reports with narrative context and key performance indicators. DestinationIQ also announced a three‑day immersion visit in December with a business meet‑and‑greet scheduled for Dec. 9 and a public stakeholder meeting on Dec. 10 at the Sala Event Center.

Board members pressed DestinationIQ and staff on several points: Connor Tharpe asked how and when the board could revisit event granting programs and how proposals should be timed for the county budget cycle; Felton advised any recommendations intended for the FY2026 budget should reach council before mid‑February. Kevin Holsapple urged the board to address “data gaps” on visitor spending, telling colleagues: "We have no concept of what average visitor spending is and in what places." Holsapple proposed forming a working group to review existing visitor data sources and recommend concrete steps to capture economic benefit for local businesses.

Several members suggested the new contractor may identify some of those gaps in its initial analysis; others recommended the contractor explicitly be asked to incorporate local spending and tax‑impact analysis into its scope. DestinationIQ said it will consider subcontracting some execution work to local businesses when the annual plan is developed and agreed to make deliverables and a running meeting deck available via shared links for transparency.

The board took no formal action on the working‑group proposal at this meeting; staff characterized the DestinationIQ presentation and Holsapple’s recommendations as agenda items for future board consideration. The chair recorded routine procedural approvals earlier in the session: the meeting agenda and the Aug. 19 meeting minutes were approved by voice vote with no opposing votes recorded.

Next steps: DestinationIQ will continue executing its interim plan and prepare the annual marketing plan; staff encouraged board members to attend the December meetings to meet the contractor and provide input. The board scheduled its next regular meeting for Dec. 16 at noon.