Visitors bureau forging on

Two and a half months after the death of its chief executive and a bruising funding battle over the Salt Palace expansion project, the Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau remains at a turning point.

But Cliff Doner, the organization's acting president and CEO, said the bureau is committed to pressing forward.

At the bureau's second quarter board of trustees meeting Wednesday, Doner said "morale suffered, and we lost some ground" when Dianne Binger died in March.

"So we are facing some challenges," he said, "but we are going to hit each one of those challenges head on, and at full speed."

Kelly Matthews, chairman of the bureau and executive vice president at Wells Fargo, said the search for Binger's successor is ongoing. The new president is expected to be named by Labor Day, he said.

For the first five months of 2005, Doner reported that the bureau's convention bookings are more than 20 percent ahead of where they were last year. As of May 31, estimated direct visitor spending is at about $86 million, compared to $72 million in January through May 2004.

In addition, Doner reported that the bureau sold 70,000 Ski Salt Lake Super Passes, which link the four Salt Lake County ski resorts with hotels and transportation, a 50 percent increase over last year's sales. And genealogy-related bookings and advance bookings for the summer tour season are both up, he said.

Doner attributed the $14 million difference in year-over direct visitor spending to new convention bookings that were secured based on the expansion of the Salt Palace convention center in downtown Salt Lake City. The bureau also is bidding on $145 million in new convention business that would not be feasible without the promise of an expanded facility, he said.

"The efforts of the Utah Tourism Industry Coalition have increased visibility about the importance of tourism to local economies across the state. And discussions about the Salt Palace expansion have also raised awareness of the value of our industry," he said.

"The recent allocation of $14 million for an effective tourism program will impact the life of every person involved in our hospitality community. Our state leaders have made a major commitment to our industry, and talented people are now in place to make sure it pays off."