Local counties awarded funding for tourism in 2010

LAYTON -- Four Top of Utah tourism promoters got what they asked for from the Utah Board of Tourism Development last week in spite of deep legislative budget cuts to the Cooperative Marketing Funding program.
Leigh von der Esch, managing director of the Utah Office of Tourism, said the state Legislature funded only $1.4 million for 2010 for the cooperative, which promotes out-of-state marketing of Utah tourism. For 2009, the Legislature funded $2.2 million. The tourism office placed a $175,000 cap on funding per entity. In the last round, that cap was $250,000.
"We are all having to take one dollar and make it two," von der Esch said.
The Davis Area Convention and Visitor's Bureau will receive a $71,175 portion of the Cooperative Marketing pie, and the Ogden Weber Convention and Visitors Bureau gets a total of $55,470 for 2010. The Box Elder Tourism Office was awarded nearly $8,000, and the Ogden Valley Business Association gets nearly $5,000.
Out of 52 applicants, 32 received funding.
Barbara Riddle, chief executive officer and president of the Davis Area Convention and Visitor's Bureau, said her group got more funding for 2010 than it did for 2009.
"We were one of eight in Utah to get all that we requested in our application," Riddle said, adding that for the last round of funding the DCVB received nearly $53,000.
She said in 2010 the DCVB will place a significant focus on international marketing, along with national outreach.
In past years, DCVB has been printing brochures in Japanese, Chinese and German languages. The plan for 2010 is to print brochures in Spanish, she said. DCVB will also translate some of its Web site pages into foreign languages.
Kathi Dysert, director of sales and marketing, said the DCVB will also partner with Yellowstone National Park to promote Antelope Island, Lagoon and other Davis attractions, and will also market Davis County destinations in specialized publications such as ski, golf and equestrian magazines.
"We project an increase in the (hotel tax) in Davis County of an additional 2 percent and expect to see 5 percent growth in visitation to Antelope Island," Dysert said.
About 270,000 tourists visit Antelope Island each year, she said.
Dysert said the Utah Tourism Office is very careful to grant funding to organizations that are "tried and true."
"We see tourism growth in Davis County every year and are able to show a return on the investment," she said.
Rich Koski, director of sales for the Ogden Weber Convention and Visitor Bureau, said area tourism marketing will also focus on outreach in specialized publications along with a push of advertising in Seattle and Oregon.
He said overcrowding at Canadian resorts for the 2010 Olympic Games, which are being held in Vancouver, B.C., will likely bring more skiers to Utah from Northwest areas.