Rural Nevada gets boost for tourism efforts

The Nevada Commission on Tourism approved more than $730,000 in grants to promote tourism to the state’s rural areas, including at the Goldwell Open Air Museum, officials announced.

Funding goes to marketing projects that will result in overnight stays — and local tax revenue — for those communities. For Pahrump, Tonopah, Beatty and other areas in Nye County, more than $75,000 is to be awarded.

“Travel Nevada’s Rural Marketing Grants program is a key factor in how we support Nevada communities as they grow their economies,” said Brenda Scolari, director of the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, in a release. “We are proud to support the efforts of our dedicated tourism partners in rural Nevada.”

The Rural Marketing Grants program is administered by the Nevada Division of Tourism (Travel Nevada). This recent distribution is the first for fiscal year 2022, which began July 1, 2021 and runs through June 30, 2022.

One of the projects funded in this round of awards was the Goldwell Open Air Museum, an outdoor sculpture park near Beatty; the museum was awarded $4,700. Other awardees included the town of Pahrump, town of Tonopah and the town of Beatty, as well as the Beatty Chamber of Commerce and others in Nye County.

Funding for the Rural Marketing Grants program does not come from the state’s general fund. Travel Nevada receives three-eighths of one percent of room tax revenue as its operations budget. A portion of those funds is used to offer the Rural Marketing Grants Program.

Grant recipients must provide a 50-50 match in funds or volunteer hours unless a waiver is approved.

The grants are distributed in the form of reimbursements to the recipients after the projects are completed and labor and funding details are documented.