Hotel rooms in much of Pierce County would cost 50 cents to $1.50 more per night under a proposal to raise money to promote tourism and conventions.
The Pierce County Council will hold a public hearing next month on a request by local hotel owners to impose the new charges. If approved, hotel charges would raise an estimated $1.1 million to $2.7 million annually for tourism promotion.
Local hotel owners have presented the county with a petition requesting the creation of a “tourism promotion area” where the higher fees would be imposed. The area includes unincorporated Pierce County and the cities of Tacoma, DuPont, Fife, Gig Harbor, Lakewood, Sumner and Puyallup.
Under the proposal submitted by hotel owners, the new room charges would vary, ranging from $1.50 a night in Tacoma to 50 cents a night in the county. The charge would apply only to lodging facilities with 40 or more rooms.
The proceeds would help pay for general tourism promotion, marketing of convention and trade shows, marketing Pierce County to the travel industry and recruiting sports events to the area.
“Tourism protection areas” are authorized under state law. Spokane County, Clark County, the Tri-Cities and the City of Yakima already have created them.
Local hotel owners told the Pierce County Council on Tuesday that this area is at a disadvantage when it comes to attracting tourist dollars. “We are quickly losing ground to the competition,” Mike Gommi, general manager of the Courtyard by Marriott in Tacoma, told the council.
In a presentation to the council, hotel owners said tourism generates more than 11,000 jobs and $20.3 million in tax revenue in Pierce County.
The hotel group already has the support of representatives of lodging businesses that would pay more than 60 percent of the new charges – the minimum threshold required to establish a tourism protection area under state law.
The County Council will have the final say about whether to establish the area and new charges. The county also would have to negotiate agreements with the cities included in the tourism protection area.
David Wickert: 253-274-7341
david.wickert@thenewstribune.com
blogs.thenewstribune.com/politics What: The Pierce County Council holds a public hearing on a proposed tourism protection area.
When: 3 p.m. June 9
Where: Room 1045 of the County-City Building, 930 Tacoma Ave. S., Tacoma
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