Alpine tourism director details who can apply for hotel-occupancy-tax grants and sets April 17 deadline

Chris Rian, director of tourism for the city of Alpine, on Thursday walked through the city’s hotel-occupancy-tax grant program, explaining eligible expenses, caps and the application process and urging organizers to pair event funding requests with advertising plans to show they can attract overnight visitors.

The grants are governed by state law, Rian said, and the city council, as the collecting and expending entity, must comply with that law though it may add stricter rules. "The purpose of these grants is basically defined by the state law that created that tax," Rian said. He added that the city is required to spend at least half of the money it collects on advertising, a requirement that shapes what the committee typically funds.

Why it matters: The program exists to increase overnight stays and local lodging revenue. That focus determines what the city can pay for — advertising, promotion of the arts, historic restoration/preservation, sporting events and limited transportation — and excludes capital improvements such as upgrades to playing fields or other infrastructure.

Rian gave details applicants…