Palisade's Lodging Tax Funds New Tourist Initiatives

Palisade's new lodging tax is being used to help create new and exciting things for tourists to do while visiting the town.

At a recent regular meeting of the Palisade Town Board of Trustees the Board voted to provide seven local businesses with tourism marketing funds to promote special events in Palisade to encourage increased tourist visitation.

Using funds generated from the voter approved Lodging Occupation Tax, the Board of Trustees, through its Tourism Advisory Board (TAB), solicited applications for private tourism marketing projects. Nine proposals were received. Due to funding constraints, the TAB could only recommend funding seven of the nine projects.

The recommendations centered on funding projects demonstrating numerous positive characteristics including broad community benefit, partnership between multiple organizations, events targeting the shoulder seasons of winter and spring, the degree of project uniqueness and innovation, and sustainability.

Mayor Dave Walker said, “We are excited that the business community has responded to this opportunity to partner with the Town.” We are confident that these marketing dollars will show a return on investment in the form of increased tourism to Palisade.”

Projects receiving funding include Palisade Spring Antiques Fair, Agri-business Identification Flags and Banners, Palisade Octoberfest, Vineyard Harvest Boot Camp, Palisade “Feast in the Fields”, Palisade Area Trails/Maps Promotion, and Palisade Wine Country Float Trips. The funds were provided on a matching, reimbursable basis. All projects must be completed by December 31 of this year.