Lodging-tax report shows sharp early-year drops; tourism board plans earlier winter marketing push

Carmen, a county staff member, presented the panel’s 2025 lodging tax collections and early 2026 figures and said adjustments are still appearing on the report as more data arrives. "We do have some adjustments in there," she said while sharing the 2025 collection report.

Kira of the Telluride Tourism Board said early metrics show notable declines. "We were just down 55.4% in Q1," she said, adding that paid lodging occupancy was down about 29% in January with a partial recovery in February and a 17% decline in March. Kira said total paid occupancy for 2025 averaged 33.7% while combined paid-and-owner occupancy averaged 40.6%.

Panel members attributed the drop to a combination of the ski-industry strike and unusually low snowpack. "I think Snowpack was probably, in the end, the bigger…the bigger problem," said Chair John, noting that reduced snowpack hurt winter businesses and that some businesses face water shortages that have curtailed rafting and other summer operations.

A lodging representative on the panel said the strike and the negative publicity that followed shook traveler confidence: "People didn't have trust in the destination," the representative said, describing extended cancellations and consumer reluctance to rebook without clear messaging.

In response, Kira outlined a two-part marketing approach: continue summer promotional buys and begin winter recovery advertising earlier than in past years. "This year, we're planning to launch [winter campaign] in August, and we're actually going to start running a paid social campaign in July," she said, describing a mix of connected-TV spots, programmatic buys and a national print placement in Condé Nast Traveler.

Kira urged the panel to monitor July booking trends, which historically signal winter performance. Panelists discussed pacing by submarket — Telluride showed stronger paid occupancy gains compared with Mountain Village and owner-booking patterns — and emphasized that owner-occupied units still contribute to local spending and tax revenues.

The panel did not take formal action on policy changes. Members agreed to watch booking data through July and to revisit recovery tactics at the next quarterly meeting, with possible scheduling for late September or Oct. 1.