Tourism revenues declined slightly in south-central Idaho as the recession prompted visitors to either cut their vacations short or in some cases avoid them alltogether.Lodging revenues, an indicator of dollars spent in Magic Valley by visitors from outside the valley and the state, declined 3 percent during the 2010 fiscal year ending June 10, compared to the previous year. It marked the second consecutive year of declining tourism.
However, help is on the way to promote events and attractions in Magic Valley.
Southern Idaho Tourism, the marketing and promotion arm of the seven-county area, will receive nearly $207,000 in state assistance to promote tourism for the remainder of the 2010 calendar year. The money is part of $2.5 million in Idaho Travel Council grants to fund non-profit organizations that promote tourism.
"We plant use the money to carry us through the rest of the year," said Debbie Dane, executive director of Southern Idaho Tourism. "It will be used to help us market events and attractions with overnight stays to people in neighboring states.
She said overnight lodging, which also generates tourism revenue for restaurants and other services, is important to increasing tourism dollars in the area.
New this year was the regional effort to seek one grant for various entities in south-central Idaho. Grant requests are often made by one or more organizations like chambers of commerce, associations and visitor bureaus. Southern Idaho Tourism worked with the Twin Falls Area Chamber of Commerce to apply for one - with the money being distributed among the entities.
"As far as I know, it's the first time anyone in the state has done this," Dane said. "It will help us reduce our auditing costs for the grant, so we can put more of that money into marketing our region."
Tourism is a $3 billion dollar industry in Idaho. Total lodging tax collections for fiscal year 2010 were $6.26 million.
By Joshua Palmer Times-News
