\u00a0<\/p>\n
On November 2, 1992, residents of Grand County voted to add a 1.8 percent lodging tax that would be collected by all hotels and motels in the county and used to promote tourism throughout the county with advertising, marketing, and media relations campaigns.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The idea for a tourism board was first proposed by a group of local business owners and community leaders who believed that tourism would bring new visitors to the area, create jobs, and generate new revenue streams for the local economy. In addition, they recognized the untapped potential of the region\u2019s year-round recreational opportunities, stunning scenery, and the opportunity to enhance the visitor experience.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n As required by the amendment, revenue collected from the lodging tax is specifically targeted. Half, 50 percent of all revenues collected, are dedicated to county-wide marketing. The remaining 50 percent is divided into three designated segments of the county: Fraser Valley to Red Dirt Hill, Red Dirt Hill to Windy Gap at the western edge of Granby and including Grand Lake, and Windy Gap to all attractions west\u2014including Hot Sulphur Springs and Kremmling. The funds for the three segments are divided according to the proportions each region collects and contributes to the revenues generated by the county-wide lodging tax.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The three regions are designated as follows:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fraser Valley \u2013excluding lodging properties within the town of Winter Park<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Three Lakes district \u2013 Granby and Grand Lake<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Main Stem \u2013 Hot Sulphur Springs and Kremmling<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In 1993, the county commissioners appointed three local community members from each region and an alternate to serve on the Grand County Tourism Board. To be in compliance with the Lodging Tax Panel, all the tourism committee appointees must be Grand County residents involved in tourism-related business.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Grand County\u2019s longest-serving member of the Board is Ken Fosha from Drowsy Water Ranch. He has represented the Main Stem region and has been on the board since its inception 30 years ago. \u201cAs a Board, we have had a lot of conversations and debates about how best to handle tourism for this county in the last 30 years,\u201d recalled Fosha. \u201cWe\u2019ve had some tough choices, but I think all of us who have served on the board have worked really hard to make the best decisions for the people and businesses throughout Grand County.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The Lodging Tax Panel met for the first time on March 16, 1993, where the Bylaws were approved, and the balance of $38,471.26 was transferred from Grand Mecca, the previous organization responsible for Grand County tourism, and the newly created panel accepted the accrued sales tax revenues on July 1, 1993. Later, the Grand County Lodging Tax Panel was renamed the Grand County Colorado Tourism Board (GCCTB).\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Thirty years later, the GCCTB continues operating and supporting tourism throughout the county with a budget of $2.2 million. In 2022, the board granted $733,700 to a variety of non-profit county organizations and event organizers that included: all five town chambers in Grand County, Grand County Rodeo, Headwaters Trails Alliance, and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In 2022, the tourism board recognized the growing awareness and increasing concern about sustainable tourism. Like destinations around the globe, GCTB is reworking its goals, strategies, and tactics to address this emerging issue that is becoming an increasing priority for many destination travelers\u2014from their carbon footprint to waste disposal, protecting wildlife, open spaces, and much more. The changing economic circumstances following the enormous impact of\u00a0 COVID-19 have clearly demonstrated that Grand County must take meaningful action to carefully balance the tourism economy, quality of life for residents, and the impact tourism has on our environment. A vision of what sustainable tourism means to Grand County and a roadmap for the future requires input from stakeholders throughout all of the communities. A clear and straightforward vision can help towns, businesses, attractions, and government entities better focus their different and sometimes competing strategies to achieve a balance that works for Grand County.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0 On November 2, 1992, residents of Grand County voted to add a 1.8 percent lodging tax that would be collected by all hotels and motels in the county and used to promote tourism throughout the county with advertising, marketing, and media relations campaigns. \u00a0 The idea for a tourism board was first proposed by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","press_release_type":[],"class_list":["post-2393","press_releases","type-press_releases","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitgrandcounty.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/2393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitgrandcounty.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitgrandcounty.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press_releases"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitgrandcounty.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"press_release_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitgrandcounty.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_release_type?post=2393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}