City of Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa Tourism Business Improvement Area (SRTBIA)
History and Analysis
April 13, 2026
Overview
The Santa Rosa Tourism Business Improvement Area (SRTBIA) is a self assessment of Santa Rosa hoteliers with the goal of providing a pool of funds to fund destination marketing; tourism activities intended to promote Santa Rosa as a tourist destination; and encourage overnight stays.
Considered a Property and Business Improvement District (PBID) and is authorized under California streets and highways code § 36606 (2025)
Established by ordinance of the City Council Ordinance No. 3946 https://www.srcity.org/1392/Tourism-Business-Improvement-Area-Adviso 3 History
Established in 2010
Purposed for marketing activities: "Marketing Activities" means activities designed to market the Area as a tourist destination, including the expenditure of funds to place advertising in any media, conduct public relations campaigns, perform marketing research, promote conventions and trade shows, and foster improved contacts within the travel industry, for the purpose of promoting tourism within the Area. “Advisory Board. An Advisory Board is hereby created, which composition shall be made up of five (5) members appointed as follows: One (1) Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce employee One (1) City of Santa Rosa employee Three (3) hotel operators, at least one of whom is employed by a full service hotel and one of whom is employed by a select service hotel.”
“The City may contract with a Contractor to carry out the services, activities, and programs to be funded by 70% of the revenues from Assessments. Santa Rosa Metro Chamber current Contractor administering these services.”
4 Assessment Flow
Tourism Business
Improvement
Assessment
(TBIA)
Admin Fee 2%
City Share 30%
Chamber Share 70%
Sonoma County
Tourism
Admin Fee 2%
City Fiscal Administration
Staff and Programming
Visit Santa Rosa Initiatives
City Fiscal Administration
SCT does not weight budget
activity by municipality. All
assessments are pooled and
deployed countywide to support
destination sales and marketing
efforts that benefit the broader
Sonoma County lodging
community.
The Tourism Pie by the Numbers
Above data are ESTIMATES based on PRS/Year @ 100% Occupancy and ADR of $140 @365 DPY A-ADR/12 = Average ADR over 12-month period
PRS/Day = Potential room sales p/day at 100% occupancy
PRS/Year = Potential room sales p/year at 100% occupancy Current Average Occupancy estimated at 58% 6 Operations
Visit Santa Rosa is a program of the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber, tasked with marketing Santa Rosa as a tourism destination, bringing meetings, events, and visitors to the area. • California Welcome Center
• Online Event Portal
• Concierge Services
• Tourism Blog and Podcast
• Reports and Data
• Destination Marketing
• Visitors Guide
Above data are ESTIMATES based on PRS/Year @ 100% Occupancy and ADR of $140 @365 DPY The Tourism Pie Visualized
Current Average Occupancy estimated at 58%
Occupancy growth can also positively impact ADR which grows the over all “pie”
FINANCES
The City of Santa Rosa collects a 3% BIA assessment on lodging operators within city limits. After deducting a (2%) administrative fee, the City of Santa Rosa's Economic Development Program receives (30%) of the receipts for the City's destination marketing and special event efforts. The Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce receives the remaining (70%) to fund the operations and activities of it’s Visit Santa Rosa program.
Above data are ESTIMATES based on PRS/Year @ 100% Occupancy and ADR of $140 @365 DPY Current Average Occupancy estimated at 58%
FINANCES.2
The City of Santa Rosa collects a 3% BIA assessment on lodging operators within city limits. After deducting a (2%) administrative fee, the City’s Economic Development Program receives (30%) of the receipts for the City's destination marketing and special event efforts. The Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce receives the remaining (70%) to fund the operations and activities of it’s Visit Santa Rosa program.
Current Average Occupancy estimated at 58%
Above data are ESTIMATES based on PRS/Year @ 100% Occupancy and ADR of $140 @365 DPY Budget Actuals
Current Average Occupancy estimated at 58%
Welcome
Center
The depot opened in 1904 as a major passenger rail division point and served as a central hub for the region. Passenger service ended in 1958, leading to a steady decline, and by the 1960s and 1970s the facility was largely underutilized and had lost much of its civic prominence. Preservation efforts began in 1975 with the formation of the Historic Railroad Square Association, followed by the district’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Between 1993 and 2003, the City acquired and restored the depot, reopening it as a Visitor Center operated by the Convention & Visitors Bureau. It was designated as part of the California Welcome Center network in 2003, and later rebranded under Visit Santa Rosa in 2014 through an updated City–Chamber agreement.
SRTBIA 2025-2028 Workplan
• Governance & Operational Efficiency
• Marketing & Destination Branding
• Local Engagement & Placemaking
• Tourism Strategy & Partnerships
• Events & Cultural Activation
• Visitor Experience & Destination Development
• Data-Driven Marketing & Industry Alignment
• Business Travel & Market Expansion
Benchmarking
DMO vs. Contracted Tourism Vendor (Partnership Distinction) A DMO is a strategic partner and system coordinator, while a vendor is a task-based service provider.
Key Differences
DMO: Owns the “why” and “what” (strategy, outcomes, alignment) Vendor: Executes the “how” (tactics, campaigns, deliverables) DMO: Integrated partner across the tourism ecosystem
Vendor: One of many tools the DMO (or City) uses
DMO: Measured by economic impact
Vendor: Measured by contract performance
• Visit California
• Visit Sacramento
• Visit Napa Valley
Chamber Agreement
Dated 2014
Future Contract (NEW Model)
Economic impact + room night generation
Outcomes-based performance contract
KPIs tied to occupancy, ADR, spending
Digital-first, data-driven marketing
Structured hotelier & partner alignment
Strategic event investment (ROI-focused)
Tourism as economic development strategy
Analytical reporting + benchmarking
Visitor experience & destination management
Current Contract (OLD Model)
Promotion-focused services
Activity-based deliverables
Limited performance accountability
Marketing-centric (print & awareness)
Informal hotel/partner coordination
Event promotion (not investment-driven)
Tourism treated as standalone function
Basic reporting (descriptive)
Welcome Center as primary function
Next Steps
In Tandem…
SRTBIA Review - Board Composition, Industry Representation and Procedure Chamber Agreement – Extension/Revision, Scope and Defined Partnership Model Funding Efficacy Analysis - ROI of BIA Assessments and deployment of funds Santa Rosa specific Tourism Strategic Plan – Industry, partner and community engagement Questions?