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Sunday, June 2, 2019

Cisco’s Sonar


Promotion
By Bryce Nielson

We just got back from one of our spring “Road Trips”.  We try to do them during this time of year to avoid all the crowds and kids.  Now it is mostly Baby   We went down through Moab, onto Mesa Verde, rode the Durango-Silverton Train and got caught in a blizzard going over Red Mountain in the San Juan’s.  Came down through Delores, Grand Junction and on home.
Boomers with little dogs and funny clothes.

I can’t believe all the new construction in Moab.  Most are hotels, condos, subdivisions and commercial buildings to accommodate the massive increase of tourists and growth.   It is the only place I have seen with more “side by sides” on the road than in Garden City.  The first time I visited Moab was over 40 years ago.  Today it looks and feels completely different than when I played golf on a little dusty course and wondered where we could eat.  You could actually pick out “locals” then.

There have been some recent newspaper articles about growth issues in Garfield and Grand counties, home to the National Parks and Lake Powell.  They are in a “Catch 22” situation.  The root of the problem is the collection and expenditure Transient Room Tax funds.  The TRT is governed by the Legislature and collected by the counties.  A percentage of all the money (1% in Rich Co) collected from room rentals goes to the County.  The County then disperses it for advertising, promotion and other things to bring more transient visitors to the County.  This tax has been important to build the tourist industry and associated income for the municipalities and businesses.  The problem in southern Utah is that the more they promote the area, the more people come and places to house, feed, and service them then needs to be built.  Then, good or bad, the more TRT is collected and since it can only be used for promotion, the growth and visitation continues, unabated.

What I have described is a simplistic view of a much more complicated problem facing rural communities who rely on tourism.  Currently, Rich County and the Bear Lake Valley Chamber of Commerce are doing an excellent job with the tax funds.  Garden City continues to have more visitors each summer and the construction around town reflects that.  We all love Bear Lake but don’t want to see it turn into a circus and lose its local identity.  Growth is inevitable, and many people feel that there are too many tourists here already.  Now they know how the Shoshone Indians felt when the first pioneers showed up.  In my opinion, we are on the edge of potential boom of visitors not only in the summer but also the rest of the year.  I just hope that as the TRT income increases, laws will be enacted to allow spending them on other things along with promotion.  We need to highlight and preserve the unique aspects of Bear Lake along with bringing in more people.  This will require communities to plan and have infrastructure in place prior to building more places for people to stay.  Some years ago, there was a significant planning document developed, Envision Bear Lake, that described how the citizens wanted to see growth where they lived.  It may be time for all the towns around the Lake to dust it off and remind the elected officials of where “we” wanted to go.

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