Carlsbad's reputation as a world-class destination for visitors extends back to the 1880s, thanks in large part to an intensive publicity campaign including a brochure circulated nationally, extolling the curative powers of the town's mineral waters “from the bosom of Nature.” Readers also learned they could pick strawberries from April through Christmas. “Is this not as near Eden as any the world has ever seen?” asked the brochure.
Carlsbad remains a complete vacation destination today thanks to it great beaches, world-class resorts, shopping and restaurants.
But there is a lot more competition for the tourism dollar in the 21st century than there was back in the 19th century. To compete with other attractive destinations like Santa Barbara and Las Vegas, it takes savvy marketing and outreach, and both of these take solid, reliable funding.
Many tourism bureaus depend on funding allocated by the City Council from transient occupancy taxes or the General Fund. But this is not dedicated funding, and in times of tight municipal budgets these funds are needed for basic services such as police and fire protection, streets and libraries instead.
To ensure a guaranteed source of funding for tourism, the Carlsbad Convention and Visitors Bureau (CCVB) and the Carlsbad hotel industry proposed establishing the District with its one-dollar-a-night fee on the city's 3,500 hotel rooms. The charge is expected to generation slight more than $1 million annually. A growing number of visitors' bureaus are establishing special assessment districts to guarantee secured funding, including Laguna Beach, Irvine, and Santa Clara.
Under the new system of funding, organizations such as the CCVB would no longer rely on revenue from the City to fund its activities, freeing it for other needs. The City will contribute $35,000 in the form of a loan to create the district's application paperwork and to conduct a marketing study. The money will be returned to the city through district revenues if it is established.
A one-dollar-per-night fee to Carlsbad hotel room bills paid by visitors will generate the funding. The money could be used only for promotion of tourism in Carlsbad. The tourism BID must be approved by a majority of the affected hotel operators, many of whom have already expressed their support for the proposal.
Cynthia Haas, manager of Economic Development and Real Estate for the City of Carlsbad, says the next step is a series of informational workshops for members of Carlsbad's hotel industry, followed by public hearings. “They'll need to be really thorough in their workshops,” she said, as some hotel groups have expressed a need for more information.
Haas says a recommendation will be presented to the Council and Mayor, which will decide whether to adopt a Resolution of Intention. She explains that the BID will be established unless there is written opposition by more than half of those hotel operators affected. If a majority of the city's hotel operators allow the plan to go forward with no resistance, the District could start operating by late summer.
A five to seven member board will oversee spending of the money. Haas says the Council and Mayor will continue to be involved in the financing of tourism promotion by reviewing the proposed district board's annual budget and by selecting who will serve on the board.
Vedder is Communications Manager for the City of Carlsbad.
Carlsbad remains a complete vacation destination today thanks to it great beaches, world-class resorts, shopping and restaurants.
But there is a lot more competition for the tourism dollar in the 21st century than there was back in the 19th century. To compete with other attractive destinations like Santa Barbara and Las Vegas, it takes savvy marketing and outreach, and both of these take solid, reliable funding.
Many tourism bureaus depend on funding allocated by the City Council from transient occupancy taxes or the General Fund. But this is not dedicated funding, and in times of tight municipal budgets these funds are needed for basic services such as police and fire protection, streets and libraries instead.
To ensure a guaranteed source of funding for tourism, the Carlsbad Convention and Visitors Bureau (CCVB) and the Carlsbad hotel industry proposed establishing the District with its one-dollar-a-night fee on the city's 3,500 hotel rooms. The charge is expected to generation slight more than $1 million annually. A growing number of visitors' bureaus are establishing special assessment districts to guarantee secured funding, including Laguna Beach, Irvine, and Santa Clara.
Under the new system of funding, organizations such as the CCVB would no longer rely on revenue from the City to fund its activities, freeing it for other needs. The City will contribute $35,000 in the form of a loan to create the district's application paperwork and to conduct a marketing study. The money will be returned to the city through district revenues if it is established.
A one-dollar-per-night fee to Carlsbad hotel room bills paid by visitors will generate the funding. The money could be used only for promotion of tourism in Carlsbad. The tourism BID must be approved by a majority of the affected hotel operators, many of whom have already expressed their support for the proposal.
Cynthia Haas, manager of Economic Development and Real Estate for the City of Carlsbad, says the next step is a series of informational workshops for members of Carlsbad's hotel industry, followed by public hearings. “They'll need to be really thorough in their workshops,” she said, as some hotel groups have expressed a need for more information.
Haas says a recommendation will be presented to the Council and Mayor, which will decide whether to adopt a Resolution of Intention. She explains that the BID will be established unless there is written opposition by more than half of those hotel operators affected. If a majority of the city's hotel operators allow the plan to go forward with no resistance, the District could start operating by late summer.
A five to seven member board will oversee spending of the money. Haas says the Council and Mayor will continue to be involved in the financing of tourism promotion by reviewing the proposed district board's annual budget and by selecting who will serve on the board.
Vedder is Communications Manager for the City of Carlsbad.