It’s been almost two weeks since the 2024 Utah Legislature adjourned sine die. It’s time to assess the probable impact of the session on Park City’s business and economic climate.

Thursday at 11:30, the chamber will host a Zoom conference with veteran public and government affairs strategist Des Barker. Des will walk us through the most consequential 2024 legislation. Chamber partners, don’t miss out! Members can register at ParkCityChamber.com/events.

This year, we tracked more than 75 bills for local business impact. For example, we joined other Utah tourism leaders in navigating the proposed statewide 1.5 percent transient room tax as part of the Fairpark Bill, which establishes a restoration district in Salt Lake’s Fairpark area that includes a state-owned baseball stadium should Utah land a Major League Baseball team by 2032.

The final bill includes more traditionally established tools for funding improvement districts, such as tax increment financing and a statewide 1.5 percent increase in the car rental tax.

The Legislature took a significant step in supporting film production in Utah, an industry with excellent growth potential that we strongly support. The bill provides $12 million annually to the Utah Film Commission for the next two years. It repeals the set date when specific motion picture incentives for rural productions (such as in Summit County) will expire. It also ensures regular review of motion picture incentives for rural productions, demonstrating a commitment to sustaining the industry’s growth. 

The Alcohol Amendments bill increases full-service bar and restaurant licenses over the next seven years, which researchers estimate will create 312 new full-service restaurant licenses and 136 full-service bar licenses statewide by 2031. The bill allows hotel and resort patrons to carry purchased alcoholic beverages in unmarked cups to designated areas. It also includes changes in markup and tax rates.

The Legislature cut the Tourism Marketing Performance Fund by $1 million to $21.8 million in fiscal year 2025. As disappointing as this is, the session began with legislative fiscal analysts recommending a $14.5 million reduction. The Tourism Marketing Performance Fund is a statewide investment program helping guide tourism development, an industry that sees visitors spend $12 billion in Utah each year (and growing) and generates $2.12 billion in state and local tax revenue. We worked with the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, the Utah Office of Tourism, and tourism industry partners to emphasize the importance of the fund and encouraged them to maintain funding levels. However, we were not successful.

Agricultural tourism is a sustainable concept that’s a natural fit for us. We supported the Legislature’s expanded modifications of civil liability for agritourism businesses and the requirement that the Department of Agriculture and Food maintain an agritourism registry as agritourism continues to expand as a beneficial tourism product.

In pursuing tourism and outdoor recreation priorities (such as environmental mitigation), the Tour Caucus, under the leadership of Sen. Evan Vickers and Rep. Jeff Stenquist, arranged three meetings with lawmakers for get-to-know sessions and informational updates. The relationships we build during these meetings are crucial to advancing responsible tourism development policies at the state level.

These are just a handful of bills Des will be reviewing Thursday at 11:30. Chamber partners are invited to join and if you are not a partner yet, now is an excellent time to become one!  Please visit ParkCityChamber.com for more information.

Jennifer Wesselhoff is the president and CEO of the Park City Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau.