JACKSON HOLE, WYO – The FY2019 budget for the Travel and Tourism Board (TTB) was approved by a joint powers board this afternoon with pushback from two electeds.
Councilman Jim Stanford and commissioner Greg Epstein both wanted to see more being done on the stewardship/sustainability front as far as TTB’s message. The board charged with spending the county’s lodging tax revenue retained the marketing agency Colle McVoy to bring the “Stay Wild” campaign to life. While the campaign has received much praise for the quality of work. Councilman Jim Stanford and commissioner Greg Epstein both felt that more could be done to promote a sustainable tourism economy.
Stanford wasn’t seeing it.
“Where are budget line items regarding stewardship?” he asked TTB board chair Alex Klein. “The sad fact of the matter is here we are after nearly eight years with very little to show in the stewardship component of the campaign. In fact we are going in the opposite direction. A campaign paying lip service to staying wild is not actually keeping things wild. I’m not going to approve the budget at this time.”
Epstein also found it difficult to notice any sustainability message coming out of the TTB.
BCC chair voted to approve the budget but agreed more could be done to promote sustainability.
Two members of the council said they weren’t sure what a sustainability message would even looked like.
Council member Bob Lenz said he would support the budget but didn’t know how sustainability could be defined in a promotional campaign.
“Sustainability? I don’t even know what that is,” Lenz said. “If I’m going to advertise real sustainability, what am I going to say, ‘Don’t come here?’”
Councilman Don Frank also wasn’t one to get hung up on the sustainability message or lack of one.
“I’m going to echo the words of Yvon Chouinard who said many years ago this valley hasn’t been sustainable since the Sheepeaters. Everything we consume is trucked in,” Frank said.
Frank added that everyone feels the pressure of visitation but an obligation to host people headed for two national parks demands the community mindfully prepare for and mitigate tourism. He was also mindful of the money brought by the lodging tax which helped fund START (nearly one million dollars, annually) and Parks & Rec, (more than half a million, annually).
Hailey Morton Levinson called it “absurd” to blame increased tourism solely on the efforts of TTB. She acknowledged an uptick in travel worldwide fueled by a bounce back of the global economy, last summer’s eclipse rush, and the recent 100th anniversary of the national parks.
Mayor Pete Muldoon also said more than TTB marketing was to blame for ramped up visitation to Jackson Hole.
“It’s plausible Kanye’s party the other night did more to boost Jackson than the TTB will do over the next year,” Muldoon said.
The town council approved the budget 4-1 with Stanford opposed. County commissioners approved 3-1 with Epstein opposed.
TTB budget at a glance
Revenue ($4,341,410): The TTB is anticipating a tax revenue of $4,341,410 for FY2019. This is based on an estimated 1.55% increase in projected actual 2017/18 lodging tax collections.
Visitor Services/Chamber ($757,680): This is required as part of the TTB Joint Powers agreement. This represents a 5% increase from last fiscal’s projected actuals and still includes airport funding for winter visitor service along with funding of the Elk Refuge Visitor services at $10,000.
Contract Advertising($1,763,512): This amount will be used to fund the national advertising agency’s’ campaign to promote visitjacksonhole and includes the website, the digital media, and social media contracts and marketing. The increase shows a 2.44% increase over projected actual spend. The annual report spending was moved down to G&A printing.
Local Marketing partnerships ($200,000): This number was reduced slightly to reflect actual spending. This money funds the marketing efforts of local community organizations, for example, the Center for the Arts, JH Wild, Nordic Alliance, JH and Yellowstone Sustainability, so they can create and spend media in their areas of expertise and tell their brand and community story with the guidance of the TTB creative agency. Examples of recent work include the Wildly Creative campaign, JH Wild, Wild on Tour promotional video, Trip Advisor Green Leader and BEST certification and the Nordic Alliance Trail maps, website, Turpin Meadow Free Ski day and marketing initiatives. This initiative has also created community assets that can be used now and into the future.
Board Advertising & Marketing ($125,000):
Marketing Opportunities & PR: This number is the same and includes mostly PR events both locally and in key flight markets in which the JHTTB will contract with local firms to host media writers during the shoulder season. Funding in this area also includes partnership programs to fund regional marketing initiatives.
Remaining Marketing Opportunities ($440,000):
Local PR Contract: The Local PR line item, $45,000 was removed and some of the funds were put towards licensing a PR service called Meltwater that the Chamber will manage.
Destimetrics is a service that measures occupancy rates; average daily rates and provides competitive resort information. This is needed to establish and report our occupancy results.
Ads, Promo, PR and Marketing: This is to cover local communications, local ads for announcements, community workshops, RFP’s and local initiatives.
Travel Incentive Program: This number was increased slightly due to success and strong ROI of 8:1. This currently funds airline travel packages that offer incentives to potential visitors to book a trip to Jackson Hole. The trip must be a package that includes air, lodging and at least one activity, i.e. dogsledding.
Events ($882,750):
Community Event Coordinator: The JHTTB provides funding for this part time position executed by the Events Director at the Chamber to act as liaison to TTB for event funding, provide coordination of major events in the community and coordinate the calendar as well as timing of events.
Community Event Grants: We anticipate relatively flat growth in event funding.
Large Event funding: This is in anticipation of possibly producing another major event at the end of our winter season. This number declined slightly based on actual spend.
SHIFT: The JHTTB has committed to fund SHIFT in October 2018 for $100,000.
General and Administrative ($178,590):
This is general operating expense for the TTB including Professional Services, which encompasses the Executive Director’s consulting fee, Fiscal Manager fees, (accounting firm), printing of annual report, county website management fees, (4JH), insurance and bonding fees. The savings is reflected in removal of legal fees and reduction in audit fees.
Reserves ($350,000):
At the March 2018 meeting, the TTB voted to rescind the former reserve resolution, which was complicated and did not allow to draw down the reserves. This allows for some monies to remain in reserve, $350,000 for extraordinary circumstances, i.e. catastrophic event or large event.
