County, Travel Council and board discuss SkyWest marketing and proposed Arches shuttle

Commissioner Bill Winfield told the board county representatives have been discussing a proposed shuttle service to Arches National Park and that the shuttle will be an agenda item for the County Commission. Winfield said county staff, the Travel Council and SkyWest have discussed a coordinated advertising campaign and that the county is exploring using Transient Room Tax (TRT) funding alongside SkyWest marketing resources to broaden promotional efforts and target lower visitation periods.

Howard Trenholme of the Travel Council recommended beginning preliminary marketing activities before the next board meeting to maximize awareness of the new air service. Trenholme and county staff reported that first-quarter 2026 TRT revenues reflected the county's first quarter of positive growth in about four years, while restaurant-tax collections declined about 34 percent year-over-year; Travel Council staff are reviewing reporting to determine whether the restaurant-tax decline is genuine or a reporting anomaly.