More $$$ for tourism gets boost

"It's a shame that following the (2002) Olympics and all the awareness that we built up around the world about Utah, to not follow that on with some kind of a substantial program to really promote the state of Utah and convince people that they should come to the state of Utah is really a shame, and we've lost out, I think," Harmer said. "In fact, our studies have shown that we've lost market share in tourism to the other states around us."

Harmer said the Utah ski industry does a good job luring tourists, but it typically promotes venues rather than the entire state. "We definitely have not done a good job of branding the entire state for tourism," Harmer said.

The lone vote against the bill was from Madsen. Madsen did not indicate his reasons but earlier had asked if tax credits for individual tourism entities or industries would be a better route to come up with the money.

Sen. Ed Mayne, D-West Valley, described tourism as "a clean economic development engine."

"We ought to be doing it. We have been doing it. We should do more," Mayne said.

Still, Mayne said the Legislature perhaps should consider whether to roll back sales tax exemptions the Utah ski industry received starting about 20 years ago with the thinking that the money would be used for tourism promotion.

Tourism-promotion bills have failed the past two years. Last year, one bill failed because sectors of the industry could not agree on the taxing mechanism.

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