The Utah Board of Travel Development, also known as the Utah Travel Council, will have a combination board meeting and community hearing Friday in Vernal.
The meeting at Western Park, 302 E. 200 South, will include a discussion of proposed legislation that would establish a dedicated funding source for the Division of Travel Development.
People wishing to comment on the legislation do not need to sign up in advance to speak.
The council now has $3.8 million from the general fund budget but says economists and marketing experts have suggested that it will take $20 million in branding efforts to reverse Utah's market share slide. The proposed legislation would raise that amount in the next 10 years through a dedicated state tourism tax.
If that funding mechanism were in place this year, businesses in the Dinosaurland region would see an estimated sales growth of $25 million, and the counties of Uintah, Duchesne and Daggett would receive an additional $500,000 in tax revenue supplied by visitors, according to the council.
Similar meetings are planned for Kanab on Aug. 22, Cedar City in late September and Salt Lake City Dec. 5. Comments also can be filed at travel.utah.gov/fundinitiative.html.