Hotel owner yanked off tourism board by SLO council

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• Atascadero to lose two contract employees key to promoting tourism

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  Atascadero will lose two contract employees key to its tourism efforts now that redevelopment agencies statewide are shutting down, leaving city officials wondering how to fund tourism promotion.

  The city’s contract with S.W. Martin and Associates includes several services, such as advertising in visitors guides, Atascadero’s tourism website and participation in the annual Sunset Savor the Central Coast wine and food event.

  The contract employed the firm’s owner, Steve Martin, and his full-time executive assistant, Gail Kudlac. Their service, which cost $133,000 this year, has been funded by redevelopment money, transient occupancy taxes and other funds over the years.

• Pismo’s bed tax sets a record

  Pismo’s bed tax sets a record

  Pismo Beach brought in more than $1 million in transient occupancy tax revenue in July — the highest amount the city has ever brought in during a single month and about $88,000 more than it collected in July 2010. Suzen Brasile, executive director of the city’s Conference & Visitors Bureau, attributed the roughly 9.7 percent increase to expanded marketing efforts over the past two years, especially in the Los Angeles area, and a larger presence on social media and the Web.

  “I think part of it is people were realizing that in spite of the economic times, they still needed to take that vacation,” she added.

  Transient occupancy tax, also called bed tax, is a 10 percent tax added to overnight stays at Pismo Beach hotels, vacation rentals and recreational vehicle parks.

• Meeting will explore creating a Director of Tourism for Morro Bay

  Meeting will explore creating a Director of Tourism for Morro Bay

  Morro Bay’s Tourism Business Improvement District advisory board will meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday to discuss creating a director of tourism position for the city. The workshop will be at the Community Center at 1001 Kennedy Way.

• SLO tourism business district and Cal Poly partner up to promote area

  SLO tourism business district and Cal Poly partner up to promote area

  San Luis Obispo’s Tourism Business Improvement District has announced a $25,000 advertising deal with Cal Poly Athletics for the 2011-12 academic year.

  The sponsorship makes the district the exclusive lodging sponsor of Cal Poly Athletics, according to its publicists.

  The district is a city agency that taxes 37 downtown San Luis Obispo hotels to finance tourism promotion.

• Talk of 'tornado tourism' stirs anger in Joplin

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  Eight months after a tornado laid waste to much of this city, Joplin is wrestling with an emotional question: Should the community market its devastated neighborhoods to tourists?