Tourism district receives award
Civitas, an organization dedicating to working with business improvement districts, named the Feather River Tourism Association its 2020 Tourism Improvement District of the Year, for its work in forming the Feather River Tourism Marketing District (FRTMD).
“It was a surprise to us and wonderful recognition of the uphill battle our all volunteer group had in making this happen,” said Susan Bryner, a Chester businesswoman who has spearheaded the effort. She said that now that the district is formed, volunteers will continue to work even harder, until the funding comes in this fall. “But we are dedicated, excited and more motivated than ever,” she added.
The history
The effort to form a tourism district began in 2014, with representatives from each of Plumas County involved. After two years of effort, the process put on hold when it became apparent that the eastern portion of the county didn’t want to participate. But the steering committee persevered and decided to move forward without that area. The district would include Quincy/Bucks Lake, the Feather River Canyon, Indian Valley and the Lake Almanor Basin. At the end of 2018, the efforts of this group led to the Feather River Tourism Association and received approval from the Board of Supervisors to continue efforts to form a tourism district.
Over the next two years, the tourism district steering committee and Civitas worked with the county to update its internal software, coordinate outreach to lodging providers, and collect signed petitions. Despite the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic presented in 2020, the steering committee volunteers not only funded the formation costs themselves, but their work culminated in the long-awaited approval of the FRTMD in October 2020, with assessment collections starting Jan. 1, 2021.
According to Civitas, “The FRTMD steering committee persisted for nearly six years of trials and tribulations to get the tourism marketing district formed, exemplifying their belief that every dollar of stable funding that could be used to promote the Feather River region was well worth the efforts.”
