Visit Napa Valley and local tourism groups brief Saint Helena council on TID funding and marketing results
Loading...
Summary
Visit Napa Valley, the Saint Helena Chamber and local TID representatives told the council that a renewed 2% tourism improvement district funds destination marketing. Speakers said Napa County collected about $68 million in transient-occupancy tax recently and Saint Helena receives roughly $3.9 million annually; councilors asked about local spending and short‑term rental counts.
Lindsay Gallagher, senior representative for Visit Napa Valley, told the Saint Helena City Council that the Napa Valley Tourism Improvement District (TID) was renewed for another 10 years and that an assessed 2% fee on overnight hotel stays funds destination marketing. "Every guest, in every town and the unincorporated areas of the county pays 2% fee when they check out of a hotel," Gallagher said, describing the TID’s funding mechanism and the split that sends 75% to valleywide marketing and 25% for local district programs.
Gallagher and other presenters described program scale and recent performance: she said the valley collected roughly $68 million in transient-occupancy tax in a recent year and that Saint Helena receives about $3.9 million annually in TOT revenue. Gallagher said the Visit Napa Valley program budget is "a little north of $8,000,000 a year," with roughly $2.2 million spent on paid advertising and about $500,000 invested over two years in town-specific advertising aimed at driving people to Saint Helena.
Amy Carabas Salazar, CEO and president of the Saint Helena Chamber of Commerce, explained the chamber’s local role: the chamber contributes funds, operates the welcome center, runs the town’s advertising layer and manages local marketing assets and events. She said the chamber’s destination-marketing program is funded in part by chamber members and in part by a local TID allocation; she described campaigns, influencer visits, a wine passport program and a welcome-center operation that supports hotels and downtown businesses.
Rick Kaufman of Harvest Inn, representing lodging interests on the TID board, summarized the economic logic: "More nights is more money to the city," he said, urging coordination across the city, county, Visit Napa Valley, the chamber and property owners to reduce duplication and maximize heads-and-beds conversions.
Council questions focused on local measurement and scope: staff clarified that the 292-room count referenced in one chart refers to hotel rooms (short-term rental units and permitted B&Bs were counted separately) and that the city currently authorizes 25 short-term rental permits with about 21 active. Council members asked how much of Visit Napa Valley’s budget targets Saint Helena specifically; Gallagher said roughly $500,000 over two years went toward the town-level ad layer, while the valleywide program supports broader demand generation.
Presenters noted a new heritage-tourism landing page and partnerships with local historical organizations. The council thanked presenters for the updates.
