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Tourist group takes high road on WTA
© St. Petersburg Times, Pasco County will be known as "home of the WTA tour" if the Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel successfully attracts the World Tennis Association's headquarters here. It's not just a fact. It's a marketing ploy. One the Tourist Development Council agreed Thursday was worth $75,000 a year for the next decade. Part of Saddlebrook's bid to lure the WTA headquarters from Connecticut included that caveat. Pasco County essentially will buy the naming rights as tour home in exchange for print and television advertising and signs at tournament events. After initial reluctance, the Tourist Development Council agreed to the idea. The County Commission must give its final approval Tuesday in order for the provision to be included in Saddlebrook's formal pitch to WTA directors next week in Wimbledon, England. The money comes from tourist tax proceeds. The county expects to collect $800,000 on its 2 percent tax on overnight accommodations in the coming fiscal year. Of that, 40 percent, or $320,000, is set aside for promotion and advertising. Spending $75,000 on WTA-related advertising is an appropriate expense for a county that is trying to build recognition for its fledgling tourism industry. Having "Pasco" associated with the tour creates greater name identification for the county -- even internationally -- among the more affluent population that follows competitive tennis. Whether that translates into increased investments in the county through additional tourism or business development remains to be seen, but certainly it is more beneficial to Pasco than identifying the tour headquarters as being in Greater Tampa or the mythical town of Saddlebrook, Fla. It also gives the WTA distinct evidence of a public-private partnership. So far, all the work has fallen to Saddlebrook, which is proposing a 13,000-square-foot building for the WTA. Though Saddlebrook owner Tom Dempsey won't talk about the specifics of his pitch to the WTA for competitive reasons, the stand-alone building coupled with the ambience from the available existing tennis facilities and resort amenities are the backbone of the offer. Those looking for an immediate tangible benefit can note that such a building could carry an appraised value of approximately $1.1-million, generating $22,000 a year in school and county tax payments. In the long term, the WTA headquarters will provide a toehold on what could be a year-round roster of tournaments and other events at the proposed tennis stadium near the resort. The tourist council, an advisory body to the County Commission, was wise to overcome the parochialism offered by west Pasco hotelier Pat Moran, and give its support to the WTA effort. It makes little sense to promote tourism in Pasco County if the guiding doctrine is "What's in it for me?"
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From today's Pasco Times Jan Glidewell |
