A Carbon County Tourism Council update was presented at the Wednesday evening commission meeting. Commission Chair Larry Jensen stated that they received the report from the last tax advisory board meeting and thought it would be helpful for the community to know where tax dollars collected from restaurants and hotels are being spent.
Commissioner Casey Hopes said that the tourism board is very active in driving projects forward and helping improve visitor experiences in the area. Last year, they were successful in placing signage in Nine Mile Canyon and assisted with a project to place wayfinding signs in Helper. These projects were completed to help visitors find their way and enjoy their stay here without becoming lost.
This year, Commissioner Hopes remarked that they have a couple of events that they are sponsoring. The Black Diamond Golf Tournament has received some funding and is a big event for the community.
The money will be utilized for outdoor advertising to encourage golfers to sign up for the tournament. It was stated that the golfers visit multiple weekends to learn the course and get familiar with it beforehand, which brings extra economical benefits to the county.
Commissioners Hopes also announced that Wasatch Events plans to host a half marathon in Carbon County that will start beyond Pinnacle Peak at Wiregrass Bench and run down to the fairgrounds as an ending point. They have already begun the marketing on that and it is believed to be a big draw for the area.
Helper City also has some upgrades that they wish to do for the Rio Theater to host concerts as they have a promoter that would like to use the facility and bring in bigger names.
The last update, according to Commissioner Hopes, is one to hopefully capture the minds of more individuals as they come through the community. He stated that Carbon County is a byway on the way to Moab, Lake Powell and other popular destinations.
There was an idea presented of creating a kiosk that would highlight and identify the attractions locally, such as the hikes, ATV and mountain bike trails, and more. These would be placed at strategic areas, such as gas stations, to capture and inform visitors on what there is to do, such as Nine Mile, to bring them back for other trips to visit some of the regional destinations.
Commissioner Jensen said that sometimes it is difficult to get the word out for positive things, but there are good things happening.