Tourism Council to hire new director next month

May 9—Tour Tahlequah's director resigned last month, and the person who will fill that seat will be announced at next month's Tourism Council meeting.

At a meeting Thursday, May 9, the announcement was made that the position vacated by Gena McPhail would be filled at the next meeting and the election of officer positions on the board will occur

Janese Hoffman of Piddles Cajun Bar and Grill attended Thursday's meeting, and Chair Brandi Ross encouraged her to consider joining TC's board.

"There is one vacant position on TC and it is reserved for a lake representative," Ross said. "That's why we have reached out to Piddles and we have also reached out to a [Lake Fort Gibson person]."

The two areas are diverse and unique, and it is important to engage those communities in the tourism effort, Ross said.

The Tour Tahlequah truck, which was purchased to promote the group at events, is currently out of operation due to an oil leak. Austin Spears, TC board member and owner of Arrowhead Resort, asked why it wasn't at Red Fern Festival.

"We talked to [Tahlequah Main Street Association], and with staffing issues [at the Chamber] we felt like it wasn't required," said Nathan Reed, CEO and president of Tahlequah Area Chamber of Commerce.

Spears felt there should have been board members or other volunteers manning the truck at the festival.

"At the festival, I looked over behind the [TACC] building and see the truck sitting back here," Spears said. "It's kind of embarrassing that we market [Red Fern Festival] and we had no representation there. And that's disappointing."

A lot of money was spent on the truck, and Spears said as TT's niche is marketing, he would be willing to volunteer to man the truck at the next event and add oil as necessary.

Marketing strategies and the social media calendar are discussed and decided on during Tour Tahlequah Marketing Committee meetings.

Tourism Manager Alex McBride encouraged any who want to attend the meetings or serve on that committee to attend the next meeting on Tuesday, June 8, 3:30 p.m. at the TACC board room.

Representatives for Explore Cherokee County Marketing Committee are county stakeholders and the committee members were selected by McPhail, Ross said.

"There are lake people, restauranteurs and Illinois River people [on the committee]," Ross said.

The financial statements for the lodging tax for both Tour Tahlequah and Explore Cherokee County have been simplified and presented to members for review. Due to no quorum, agenda items were not voted on.

"Does the state charge a fee to collect and is that reflected in these number?" asked Junior Sierra.

The fees from both the state and the city to handle the transfer of the taxes are not reflected in the numbers on the spreadsheet, Reed said.

A total of 7% is taken from the lodging tax for collecting and distributing the funds — 4% by the state and 3% by the city of Tahlequah.

As marketing administrator for both TT and ECC, 50% of the budget is allocated for administration, which includes all costs incurred for marketing by TACC staff.

"It pays for all the things that it takes to do day-to-day operations," said Reed.

What's next

The next Tourism Council meeting is June 13, at 8 a.m. and the Tour Tahlequah Marketing Committee Meeting is Tuesday, June 8, at 3:30 p.m.; both will be held at the TACC board room.