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.
