It is the Travel Council’s responsibility to promote and encourage local tourism to help broaden and strengthen the County’s economic base. The Travel Council seeks to accomplish this through promotion and supporting recreation, tourism, and conventions in a manner that protect the beauty and scenery of our natural environment. The objectives are to expand our market, enhance our image, change perceived weaknesses into strengths, and increase the revenue received through increased visitation.
The day-to-day functions of the office are activities that include, but are not limited to, design work for collateral, website development and design, stories written for submission to various media outlets, promotion of event venues and possibilities, answering of 800-line telephone calls, data processing of requests for information, management of a local lead program, collection of transient room tax, familiarization with tour planning and execution, advertising of design work and placement, distribution of collateral for the public, management of an events grant program, and other specialty projects when time allows.
The Travel Council Director also represents the Grand County/Moab Area as President of the Utah Tourism Industry Coalition (a statewide tourism advocacy association), as Codirector of Southern Utah National Parks Advertising Coalition, as Codirector of the Canyonlands Travel Region, as a Board Member on the local Chamber of Commerce, as a member of the Dinosaur Diamond Byway Organization, as a member of the National Tour Association, and as a member of United States Travel Association. The Travel Council also manages the contract for the Thompson Welcome Center and provides collateral for that facility as well as the Moab Information Center, visitor centers around the state, the Utah Office of Tourism, AAA offices around the country and other visitor centers outside of the state upon their request.
Beginning January 1, 2013 the overnight lodging properties will need to adjust the tax rates in their systems. Here is the current breakdown of the taxes. At the bottom you will see the increase that is specifically for the Transient Room Tax (TRT) in red. The 29 Counties throughout Utah have had the option of increasing the TRT since 2006 and Grand County has now decided to go through with the increase.
For lodging sales on or after July 1, 2011, Transient Room Tax will be collected by the Utah State Tax Commission. For more information visit the following website:
The Moab Area Travel Council includes listings for local tourism related businesses on its website, discovermoab.com. Additionally, some of the collateral produced by the Moab Area Travel Council may occasionally include listings. Businesses that are included are those which have a Grand County or Moab City business license, pay taxes in Grand County and are: lodging, campgrounds, transportation, restaurants, guides & outfitters and visitor services, i.e. rentals. If you have a new business which fits into these categories and would like to be considered for our listings you must complete one of the following forms and return it to us, along with a copy of your business license.
The Moab Area Travel Council Leads Program offers your business the opportunity to receive mailing labels of potential visitors to the Moab area. The total number of leads entered into our database can range from 240/week during the off-season to nearly 1200/week during the busiest times of the year. For more information download the following Leads Program form:
The Moab Area Travel Council will provide grant assistance to organizations to aid in the development of tourism. The purpose of the advertising grant is to increase the level of tourism in Grand County through new or fledgling events that could become annual events.
The Event Advertising Grant Application deadline for 2014 is August 15, 2013. (In the event the deadline date falls on a weekend the Event Advertising Grant Application deadline will be due in the Travel Council office on the Friday before.) Event Advertising Grant Applications for 2013 events are no longer being accepted.
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