Swap Meet Discussions: Len Carlman: How to Spend the Lodging Tax

Do you like to discuss what you read but have a hard time committing to book club? The Swap Meet program is for you! Each week, a local elected will lead a discussion on a provocative article they've chosen. Join County Commissioner Len Carlman in a discussion about: How to Spend Lodging Tax Funds.

"My topic is about how we might best spend the 60% of lodging tax dollars which, by state statute, must be allocated toward “expenditures for travel and tourism promotional materials” as well as “events, educational materials, and other specific tourism-related objectives, including those as identified as likely to facilitate tourism or enhance the visitor experience.” (https://industry.visitjacksonhole.com/funding). This is not about the 40% of lodging tax revenue that we direct to supporting local government and mitigating the impacts of visitors.

I am interested in this topic because the lodging tax, which currently requires guests to pay 5% above the cost of their room, might, if approved by voters at an upcoming election, rise to 7%. The annual gross revenue from the current 5% tax is more than $9 million; that sum would rise to about $12.6 million if voters raise the lodging tax to 7%. That’s a significant sum. It can be deployed in ways that are more or less helpful to our community, and that matters.

I am interested in using the Swap Meet to brainstorm ideas that focus on public sector ways of taking care of the guests we already have, while they are here, rather than always looking for the next person from this or that market to come to Teton County or “managing and messaging,” which is less about service to our guests and more about influencing their behavior. I believe that, as a matter of political equity, the people who pay the tax, our guests, deserve direct, practical benefits from this tax. I also believe taking great care of our guests, while they are here, will motivate them to return. Return guests have a better chance to be better informed, more responsible visitors because they already have a feel for how to enjoy our remarkable landscape and community. I also believe that happy guests will go home and tell their friends and family about their trip, including, for some of them, a tip of the hat to how well they were cared for while here. That’s in line with the kind of Jackson Hole hospitality that our private sector has done well for decades, but which our public sector needs to do better. We can use public sector hospitality to distinguish Jackson Hole from other communities that are less considerate toward their guests.

The downside of this question is my concern that a continued focus on getting the next new person or group to come to Jackson Hole, or relying on exhortations about “responsible tourism,” will undesirably further stress our community and make us feel even more overwhelmed by the crush of guests. Overtourism is a growing problem all around the world. We already experience it here. If we don’t deal with overtourism asap, it’s going to get worse.

If Swap Meet guests only want to read one article, I recommend the June 2, 2021 article: “Travel and Tourism board presents budget – pivots from luring to managing”

November 14, 2018: Lodging Tax Wins. Now What?

May 19, 2021: The Tourists are Coming

*June 2, 2021: Travel and Tourism Board Presents Budget, Pivots from Luring to Managing Visitors

June 22, 2022: Jackson Hole Residents are Frustrated by Tourism, Survey Finds

June 4, 2025: Jackson Hole Forest Ambassadors Worry Lodging Tax Cuts Could Detract from Dirty Jobs

To read articles: tclib.org/swapmeet

Full Swap Meet Schedule:

7:00-8:30 PM

WED OCT 1: Wes Gardner & Devon Viehman
THUR OCT 2: Andrew Byron
WED OCT 8: Liz Storer
WED OCT 15: Luther Propst & Kevin Regan
THU OCT 16: Len Carlman
THUR OCT 23: Mark Newcomb &  Alyson Spery
THUR OCT 30: Mike Yin & Natalia Macker