The first-ever Convention and Tourism Assessment Area (CTAA) in Utah was established in Salt Lake County on June 13, thanks to the efforts of Visit Salt Lake, led by President and CEO Kaitlin Eskelson and her staff.
What this means: Participating hotels will levy a 2 percent assessment on gross short-term guest room rental revenue, with collection to begin on October 1. This assessment is projected to generate an estimated 50 percent increase in the annual budget to support initiatives that attract large conferences, conventions, meetings and sporting events. The Salt Lake County Convention and Tourism Assessment Area (SLCo CTAA) will operate for a term of five years and is pivotal in enabling Visit Salt Lake to level the playing field among its competitors.
Funds raised will be allocated to a multitude of services benefiting the hotel businesses within the CTAA. Some of these include new visitor profile research program development, domestic and international marketing campaigns, marketing communication channel expansion, global travel trade and media reach growth, and community health programs.
Salt Lake County’s $4.62 billion visitor economy represents 46 percent of the state’s $10.1 billion visitor economy. Furthermore, each convention delegate contributes an average of $971, benefiting local restaurants, bars, recreation venues and hotels. These impacts generate $1,238 in tax relief for each household within Salt Lake County and support over 48,000 tourism-related jobs. This additional funding for sales and marketing programming is crucial for Visit Salt Lake to compete effectively against competitive cities.
For more information, visit www.visitsaltlake.com.
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