Tourism staff reports grant closeout, new grant applications and rising local visitation
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Summary
Staff reported closing a co‑op marketing grant (noting future swag must be preapproved), submitted an OHVR grant and is preparing an RTP application, and said county collections totaled $588,000 (down 5% statewide) while local TRT showed year‑over‑year increases.
Travel bureau staff told the board they closed out the 2025 co‑op marketing grant after reallocating some marketing budget to cover previously built swag; staff warned that going forward any swag or co‑op expenditures must be preapproved by the state office. The staff member said the bureau expects to receive the remaining 25% of grant funds if the closeout checks out with the state.
Staff reported submitting an Off‑Highway Vehicle Recreation (OHVR) grant application to create a signing crew and said a Recreation Trails Program (RTP) application is due in two weeks. The bureau also announced it will open a small trails grant (up to $15,000) for eligible local projects in the coming weeks.
On collections, staff cited statewide figures pulled from the tax commission showing $588,000 in collections (down about 5% from the prior period) but said local monthly figures saw an increase: TRT receipts that were about $23,000 last February rose to $31,000 this year, which staff attributed in part to House Bill 456 and possibly to improved visitor traffic. Staff said they will bring more detailed month‑by‑month data next month.
Staff also highlighted recent marketing activity: attendance at an AI workshop for destination marketers that staff said will inform new prompts and graphics work, collaborative international marketing outreach with the Utah Office of Tourism, and a local liquor‑store partnership that will display event flyers on in‑store screens.