Consultants outline 10-year tourism strategy for Clay County, recommend sports and outdoor-adventure investments

Tyler, a consultant with CSL, and Mitch Myers of Black Dog Advertising presented a tourism strategic plan to the Clay County Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 11, outlining steps to grow the county’s visitor economy over three, five and 10 years.

The plan recommends prioritizing amateur sports facilities (including a recommended 10‑field regional park and eventual indoor field-house options), developing outdoor‑adventure product by improving trail and water access, expanding arts-and-culture programming and pursuing a long‑term waterfront entertainment district. Tyler said the study included outreach to some 35 out‑of‑market stakeholders and a county survey of about 500 residents. “This plan is designed to provide ideas, provide research, provide insights as to where Clay County stands today as a tourism destination,” he told commissioners.

The consultants emphasized a practical, phased approach. Myers said the near‑term market is a two‑hour drive radius, and the team recommended building marketing infrastructure and a visitor database now while planning larger capital projects over time. The presentation set numeric targets: grow hotel inventory from roughly 1,200 rooms today to about 1,500 by 2027 and raise average daily rate by about $20, though consultants called some revenue projections “optimistic but doable” if signature projects are realized.

Commissioners pressed for details on parks, convention and event space, and siting constraints. Tyler said some opportunities—such as a waterfront project at Reynolds Park or improvements at Camp Chawanuka—are long‑term because of environmental and site challenges, while others (trail connections, niche events and improvements at existing parks) are near‑term and lower cost. He suggested negotiating modest developer incentives—land donations or infrastructure assistance—rather than large direct subsidies.

Commissioners and staff said they will take the consultants’ recommendations to the tourism development council for prioritization. The board asked the council to return with specific near‑term priorities for the commission to review at its Nov. 7 meeting.

What happens next: the consultants provided a draft 140–150 page report to county staff and recommended implementation steps; the tourism development council will present recommended priorities in November.