Visalia Tourism Marketing District
2025 Annual Report
Submitted to the City of Visalia pursuant to Streets and Highways Code section 36650, for the period from January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025
Visalia Tourism Marketing District
2025 Annual Report- (8/7/2026)
Table of Contents
Boundaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Assessment Collections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Assessment Spending . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Special Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2025 Key Deliverables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 2026 Projections & Proposed Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Delinquencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Appendix 2025 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Supporting Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Visalia Tourism Marketing District
2025 Annual Report- (8/7/2026)
The VTMD is a benefit assessment district designed to help fund sales & marketing and destination development programs for certain Visalia lodging businesses.
Boundaries
The Visalia Tourism Marketing District (VTMD) includes all lodging businesses with twenty (20) rooms or more, existing and in the future, available for public occupancy within the boundaries of the City of Visalia.
The boundary, as shown in the map below, currently includes fifteen (15) lodging businesses and a complete listing of lodging businesses within the VTMD can be found in the Appendix. (Lodging business means: any structure or any portion of any structure, which is occupied or intended or designed for occupancy by transients for dwelling, lodging or sleeping purposes, and includes any hotel, inn, tourist home or house, motel, studio hotel, bachelor hotel, lodging house, rooming house, apartment house, dormitory, public or private club, mobile home or house trailer at a fixed location or other similar structure or portion thereof.)
Visalia Tourism Marketing District
2025 Annual Report- (8/7/2026)
Tourism Marketing District
Assessment Collections
The Visalia Tourism Marketing District (VTMD) is funded by a two percent (2%) assessment of gross commercial room rental revenue collected from lodging businesses. This assessment provides a stable and dedicated funding source for tourism promotion and the development of tourism assets.
In 2025, gross assessment revenue collected totaled $862,421.
Assessment Spending 2025
Although actual revenues fluctuate due to market conditions, the Management District Plan outlines consistent proportional allocations of the assessment budget. Those allocations are as follows:
Assessment Collection Fee 1%
Administration and Operations 15%
Destination Development 10%
Sales & Marketing 69%
Contingency/Reserve 5%
100%
Visalia Tourism Marketing District
2025 Annual Report- (8/7/2026)
Visalia Tourism Marketing District (VTMD)
2025 Receipts and Expenditures
Visalia Tourism Marketing District
2025 Annual Report- (8/7/2026)
Destination Development: Visalia Heritage Cultural Center The VTMD Board provided Visalia Heritage, a 501c3 Corporation, funding of $95,000 for development of the historic Depot as a Cultural Center. As directed in the VTMD Management District Plan (page 8), destination development projects may include “Arts and Cultural projects to attract overnight visitors.”
2025 Key Deliverables
In addition to a comprehensive marketing and advertising program with Fourth Idea, our agency of record, the Visalia Tourism Marketing District invested in the following tourism marketing and destination development initiatives.
Marketing
• Media/Travel Writer Familiarization (FAM) Tours
• Co-Op Campaigns: Hotel Beds and Expedia
• Westways Magazine
• Visit California Newsletter
• World Ag Expo Sponsorship
• National Geographic Traveler
• Live Visalian Production and Video Campaign
• Media and Tour Operator Tradeshows
Destination Development
• Basecamp Better – Digital Platform of Gamified Self-guided Tours Administration and Operations
In accordance with the VTMD Management District Plan, administration and operations include tourism marketing payroll, equipment and maintenance, office rent, supplies and other items necessary for overall operations.
City Administration Fee
The City of Visalia retains one percent (1%) of the amount of assessment collected to cover its costs of collection and administration.
Visalia Tourism Marketing District
2025 Annual Report- (8/7/2026)
2026 Assessment Projections
Tourism is a volatile industry in Visalia. Being heavily dependent on access to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, natural occurrences such as fires and flooding within the Parks, decrease opportunities for tourism.
In 2026 the political climate, domestic economy and dollar exchange rate are predicted to soften leisure travel throughout the United States including California.
Economic forecasting of the projected boost in tourism due to the 2026 World Cup matches played in California have been tempered due to the team/match draws and ongoing international travel barriers.
The Visalia Tourism Marketing District will closely monitor hotel occupancy and revenue per available room to learn if budget projections made in 2026 are overly optimistic.
The Visalia Tourism Marketing District is projecting that assessment collections will decline in 2026 by 8% over 2025. VTMD has set aside the required 5% reserve fund of $42,800.
Based on regulatory guidelines, the Assessment Revenue may be allocated as follows:
Visalia Tourism Marketing District
2025 Annual Report- (8/7/2026)
The following is a description of the proposed improvements and activities for 2026 operations.
Sales and Marketing
A sales and marketing program will promote assessed businesses as a tourist, meeting, and event destination and as a desirable place for overnight visits. The program may include the following activities to increase awareness and drive overnight visitation to assessed businesses:
• Digital marketing, print advertising and other marketing opportunities • Attendance at trade shows, professional industry conferences and affiliation events to promote assessed businesses;
• Implementation of a public relations and communications strategy, inclusive of social media outlets and press release distribution. designed to increase overnight visitation at assessed businesses. This includes familiarization tours for travel buyers or media writers of assessed businesses;
• Preparation and production of collateral and promotional materials such as brochures, flyers and maps featuring assessed businesses; • Education of hospitality staff designed to create a visitor experience that will bring repeat visits to assessed businesses;
• Education of lodging business management and the owners on marketing strategies best suited to meet assessed businesses’ needs; • Return on Investment (ROI) analysis to learn effectiveness of programming in driving overnight visitation at assessed businesses.
Destination Development
The Destination Development projects, designed to attract overnight visitors, may include:
• Contributions towards funding a transportation program connecting assessed businesses with downtown, points of interest and other attractions • Art and cultural projects, Gateway enhancements, Enhancements to environmental experiences; Development of and/or improvements to visitor points of interest, such as hiking trails and parks, Comprehensive and integrated wayfinding signage system;
Visalia Tourism Marketing District
2025 Annual Report- (8/7/2026)
• Sustainability programs that offset impacts of tourist visitation within the destination;
• Infrastructure improvements that enhance the destination’s competitive position to attract desirable special events year-round
Administration and Operations
The administration and operations portion of the budget shall be utilized for administrative staffing costs, office costs, tourism advocacy, and other general administrative costs such as insurance, legal, and accounting fees.
City Administration Fee
The City of Visalia shall retain a fee equal to one percent (1%) of the amount of assessment collected to cover its costs of collection and administration.
Penalties and Interest
The VTMD shall reimburse the City of Visalia for any costs associated with collecting unpaid assessments. If sums in excess of the delinquent VTMD assessment are sought to be recovered in the same collection action by the City, the VTMD shall bear its pro rata share of such collection costs. Assessed businesses which are delinquent in paying the assessment shall be responsible for paying:
1. Original Delinquency: Any assessed business that fails to remit any assessment imposed within the time required shall pay a penalty of ten percent (10%) of the amount of the assessment in additional to the amount of the assessment.
2. Continued Delinquency: Any assessed business that fails to remit any delinquent remittance on or before a period of thirty (30) days following the date on which the remittance first became delinquent shall pay a second delinquency penalty of ten percent (10%) of the amount of the assessment in addition to the amount of the assessment and the ten percent (10%) penalty first imposed.
3. Fraud: If the City determines that the nonpayment of any remittance due is due to fraud, a penalty of twenty-five percent (25%) of the amount of the assessment shall be added thereto in addition to the penalties stated in paragraphs 1 and 2 above.
4. Interest: In addition to the penalties imposed, any assessed business that fails to remit any assessment imposed shall pay interest at the rate of one-half of one percent (0.5%) per
Visalia Tourism Marketing District
2025 Annual Report- (8/7/2026)
month or fraction thereof on the amount of the assessment, exclusive of penalties, from the date on which the remittance first became delinquent until paid.
5. Penalties Merged with Assessment: Every penalty imposed and such interest as accrues shall become a part of the assessment herein required to be paid. penalties. The business shall also be liable for the cost incurred by the City for the audit if a deficiency is substantiated.
Appendix
2025 - Assessed Lodging Properties
Property Sleeping Rooms
Wyndham Visalia 9000 W. Airport Dr. 256
Visalia Marriott 300 S Court St. 197
Hilton Garden Inn 8715 W. Hillsdale Ave. 112
Lamp Liter Inn 3300 W. Mineral King Ave. 100
Residence Inn Visalia 205 N. Plaza Dr. 94
Holiday Inn Express 5625 W. Cypress Ave. 91
Hampton Inn Visalia 4747 W. Noble Ave. 88
Motel 6 Visalia 4645 W. Noble Ave. 77
Comfort Suites 210 E. Acequia Ave. 72
La Quinta Inn & Suites 5438 W. Cypress Ave. 65
Best Western 9300 W. Airport Dr. 64
Fairfield Inn 140 S. Akers St. 63
Super 8 Motel 4801 W. Noble Ave 39
Americas Best Value Inn 623 W. Main St. 38
The Darling Hotel 210 N. Court St. 32
1388
Visalia Tourism Marketing District
2025 Annual Report- (8/7/2026)
Visalia Tourism Marketing District 2025 Board of Directors. * Attachments
• January 1, 2025, Balance Sheet
• December 31, 2025, Balance Sheet
• 2025 Profit and Loss
Visalia Tourism Marketing District
2025 Annual Report-(8/7/2026)
Visalia Tourism Marketing District
2025 Annual Report-(8/7/2026)
Visalia Tourism Marketing District
2025 Annual Report-(8/7/2026)