There are many things that can delight you in Humboldt County, and travel and tourism are among them.
In June 2022, Humboldt County residents voted to increase our Temporary Occupancy Tax (TOT) from 10% to 12%. TOT is paid by tourists staying in our hotels. The funds, when collected, are forwarded through the hotel to the county. The use of these additional funds is to “continue to maintain general county services, such as 911 emergency response; mental health of children; rural fire/ambulance; repair of county roads; emergency communication systems; theatre/public art; job training.” The Supervisory Board (BOS) appointed an ad hoc commission to discuss the financing of Measure J and to create a tax spending plan for the intended purpose with an emphasis on tourist tourism. The ad hoc committee is actively working on a list of projects to present to the Board of Supervisors for consideration for spending funds from Measure J. The ad hoc proposals will hold the county responsible for maintaining general county services related to public safety, public art and theater, and job training. for our community as outlined in the measure and adding services to support our tourism industry.
County travel and tourism partners traditionally include the Humboldt County Visitors Bureau, the Humboldt Lodging Alliance, the Harbor District, the City of Eureka and the Humboldt County Department of Aviation, among others. In October 2022, the County Board of Supervisors heard a presentation from the Humboldt Lodging Alliance and the Humboldt County Visitors Bureau as a condition of their contract to share their accomplishments from the past year. Their presentations are intended to give the Supervisory Board a good idea of the coming year and the planning of future dollar spending.
In addition, the City of Eureka and Harbor County gave a brief report on cruise ship tourism and the Humboldt County Department of Aviation reported on air travel tourism. Following the presentation, the Board of Supervisors established an additional ad hoc committee to evaluate the current tourism agreement, review past spending presentations, discuss future community needs, and return to the Board of Supervisors with an assessment of current plans, funding, and additional recommendations.
These presentations are critical for our community leaders as the Humboldt community begins to recover from the economic effects of COVID-19. As the County recovers, travel and tourism will play a key role in economic development and will be the focus of many local leaders and entrepreneurs.
In November 2022, the Supervisory Board requested the suspension of excise duties on cannabis. In addition, BOŠ asked the County’s Economic Development staff to come back with a recommendation to modify the Trellis Project with an emphasis on tourism and marketing.
In December 2022, the Southern Humboldt community hosted an event where approximately 25 panelists spoke about tourism in Humboldt County and the need for adjustments in communities entering the county. About 250 community members attended the event. Southern Humboldt is holding a series of these events, with the next event coming in March 2023. They hope to keep these conversations moving.
Knowing the vital role that travel and tourism play in local communities and all the work presented over the past six months, you can see that Humboldt County has many people working to improve our tourism experience. With our Humboldt County Airport seeing a record number of boardings and disembarkations in 2022 and cruise ships interested in daily docking and sightseeing, it’s time to get Humboldt ready! The work is done not only for our guests who visit, but also for the residents of Humboldt County and the community where the residents work, live and enjoy. Humboldt County will create a society where they want to live, somewhere they want to travel, whether by plane, cruise ship or automobile. In Humboldt County there are many things that can delight you, and among them are travel and tourism!
Dianna Rios is the economic development coordinator for Humboldt County.