RECAP: Tourism Business Improvement District Meeting, December 18, 2025
The board discusses the future of the visitor’s center, grant location requirements, billboard advertising, and approves matching funds for the 29 Palms Music Series.
On Thursday, December 18, their last meeting of the calendar year, the Twentynine Palms Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) met to discuss a full slate of agenda items. Topics covered the state of the Twentynine Palms Visitor Center, grant location requirements, billboard advertising, and matching funds for the 29 Palms Music Series. Present were Vice-Chair Ashton Ramsey, and Board Members Maria Madrid, Liz Shickler, and Ben Uyeda. Chair Rakesh Mehta had an excused absence. Three members of the public were in attendance and two made comments. Also in attendance was the new part-time visitor center staff member, Bri Sears, a graduate student in hospitality who will be staffing the visitor center Wednesday through Saturday.
The board approved a change from the published agenda, beginning with item five, discussion of visitor center operations, followed by items six and seven, before closing with discussion of billboard advertising and matching funds for the 29 Palms Music Series.
A reminder to readers: Applications for sponsorships and grants for events taking place January to June 2026 are open through December 31, 2025.
Marketing Director update
Marketing Director Breanne Dusastre reported that Twentynine Palms closed out the last quarter of fiscal year 2025 (July-September) with the highest collection of Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) on record. The $75,295 tax surpassed seasonal expectations and was up 9% year over year. Dusastre noted the growth was driven by new hotels, as hotels and RV parks saw 16% growth, while vacation rentals saw 1.45% growth for that quarter.
The year-end assessment revenue for the TBID was $368,356, down 0.35% year-over-year, with hotels and RVs growing 3.4% and vacation rentals falling 4.4% year-over-year, which Dusastre stated was due to inventory shrinks. Given the slowdown that was predicted in fall travel, the Q4 growth numbers are encouraging for the year ahead. The TBID budgeted $350,000 in income from the assessment in their 2025-2026 budget.
Dusastre also reported on social media and traditional media. She highlighted a large increase in engagement on the Visit29 instagram account, much of it driven by the new reels posted by their social media contractor, including one that got over 62,000 views, with 1,000 new followers, and 2,984 link clicks, a 16% increase from last year. Of these link clicks, it would also be important to track if they lead to direct bookings. Dusastre shared a new article featuring Twentynine Palms in Travel and Leisure and the sponsored digital destination guide in Palm Springs Life.
Finally, she updated the board on the extension for the grant period. Due to low applicant volume, the TBID extended the application deadline to December 31 for events and sponsorships taking place in January through June 2026. According to Dusastre promotion includes social media, digital advertising, a radio spot on z107.7, and targeted email outreach to spread the word about the extended application. So far three new sponsorship applications and no new grant applications have been received. Application review will begin the week of January 5.
Update on visitor center operations
As discussed in the November 12 City Council meeting, the City is weighing options for the City of 29 Palms Visitor Center, located at at 73484 Twentynine Palms Hwy. The center provides maps and information about area lodging, dining, activities, and attractions and serves as an art gallery for the Public Arts Advisory Committee’s quarterly art show. It is currently open six days a week, from Monday to Saturday. Due to staffing shortages, Dusastre has been working at the center with volunteer support, but a key priority for the City Council is to ensure Dusastre can focus on external marketing activities. This issue will be partially alleviated by the addition of Bri Sears, who was recently hired to work in the visitor center from Wednesday to Saturday.
In addition to the staffing issue, the board discussed potential future alternatives for the visitor center, including a proposal to move it to a mobile office or even an eye-catching airstream, in Freedom Plaza, closer to the national park visitor center. City Manager Stone James explained that about 3,000 visitors a week come to the national park visitor center at Freedom Plaza in contrast to the 100 a week that come to the Twentynine Palms visitor center.
Vice-Chair Ramsey encouraged the board to consider “out of the box” ideas, such as a coffee or ice cream shop in conjunction with the visitors center that would bring people in. He also wondered about the purpose of the visitor center as it currently stands, “Are we even getting people in there? Is it doing its best job of driving traffic to all of the businesses and restaurants and knowing what’s going on?”
As the board considered the low visitorship, Uyeda echoed Ramsey’s questions, stating, “But it all comes down to where are we putting our resources, and how many people are we reaching?”
While the board did not decide on a concrete direction for the visitor center, they did concur that for the short term, Dusastre’s time needs to be spent on external marketing and voted 4-0-1, with Mehta excused for absence, to limit the visitor center hours to when staffing is available.
In a follow up email, Dusastre clarified the updated hours. The center will now be open 11 am to 4 pm on weekdays, and either 10 am to 3 pm or 11 am to 4 pm on Saturdays, but will be closed on Tuesdays until additional help is brought in. The Center will continue to utilize volunteer services on Mondays, and once Sears is trained she will help recruit additional volunteers to cover Tuesdays. The visitor center, along with all City offices, will be closed December 24, 25, 31, and January 1.
Not discussed was if visitor center hours could be redistributed to attract the highest amounts of visitors, which presumably are on the weekends. In addition, if the visitor center were to move to a higher traffic location, would hours need to be expanded further to be a truly useful resource to visitors?
Board considers adding Joshua Tree Lake RV and Campground as approved venue for grant funding and weighs concerns about an expanded “sphere of influence”
A discussion at the heart of the meeting was whether to approve the Joshua Tree Lake RV & Campground as a venue for grant funding. Current guidelines do not currently allow grant funding for events outside of the Twentynine Palms sphere of influence, though sponsorship funding is allowed. The board had previously struck down a location expansion at their meeting in August, but they were specifically centered on the campground because it can accommodate larger events, such as music festivals, for up to 2,000 people, a capacity Twentynine Palms currently lacks.
There were two public comments on the agenda item. Jimmy Brower, owner of Sun of the Desert and Vice President of the Rediscover 29 business association, gave the first comment. He urged the board to keep Twentynine Palms funding for events in Twentynine Palms and asked why the TBID couldn’t simply continue to be a sponsor and increase sponsorship limits if needed, instead of contributing grant money to a commercial business outside of the city. He also encouraged the board to consider signature events differently:
I highly recommend reaching out to existing Twentynine Palms event producers, businesses and organizations with proven track records of successful community events to begin cultivating our homegrown talent into producing existing and new signature events that instill the small town charm and authenticity that visitors seek in their desert destinations. Maybe celebrity headliners aren’t actually necessary, because people escape to the desert for something unique and charming that only a small town can produce… Maybe all the talent already exists in 29 Palms and we just need to shift our perspective.
In a written comment, read out loud by Ramsey, Susan Peplow echoed Brower:
The redirection of Twentynine Palms TBID funds into a neighboring destination with stronger and more established tourism identity, this raises legitimate concerns. The $20,000 grant requires more than $1.3 million in taxable lodging to offset and no evidence has been presented that these events held in Joshua Tree Lake generates this level of overnight visitation in Twentynine Palms lodging partners. This concern is amplified by the proximity of Joshua Tree accommodations to the venue and the fact that Joshua Tree Lake offers on-site camping and RV accommodation that are heavily utilized by attendees.
The TBID has sponsored two events that take place at the campground: The Joshua Tree Music Festival and the Vacation Races Joshua Tree Half Marathon. Uyeda said that the discussion pointed to a larger need: Expansion of infrastructure that keeps larger events in Twentynine Palms. He suggested working with the City’s Planning Department to help local event producers understand what’s needed to produce large events and to support temporary infrastructure like mobile bathrooms.
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Overall, the board recognized the need for venues that accommodate larger events and for TBID to play a role in cultivating those types of events, but decided that applicants must have part of their event and programming in Twentynine Palms, such as break out sessions, small group dinners, or pre-or-post event receptions. Uyeda explained, “You need to commit in writing that you’re getting heads in beds in Twentynine Palms.”
After much discussion, Uyeda made a motion that grant applications that include the Joshua Tree Lake Campground need to emphasize Twentynine Palms lodging, food, and beverage partners in terms of what TBID funding will cover. The motion passed 4-0-1.
New appointment to grant review committee
In another grant-focused agenda item, the board voted 4-0-1 to appoint Carrie Graves-Warden, a Twentynine Palms resident who has previously served on University Committees as an academic counselor, to the grant committee. In her application she stated, “ I want to help choose events that will draw tourism to our beautiful city and also give locals fun activities we can enjoy as well.” Other applicants included Scott Clinkscales, the Community Events Coordinator for the City of Twentynine Palms, and Sheri Dawson, a new Morongo Basin resident. Graves-Warden will join the five-person committee that independently scores and reviews grant applications to make a recommendation for funding to the TBID. Maria Madrid and Liz Shickler are the current TBID members who are part of the grants committee.
Approval of billboard advertising on the I-10 East for March, May, June, and July
The TBID budget includes $70,000 for “out of home” advertising, including $35,000 for billboard advertising. Last year the TBID funded advertisements at the Palm Springs airport, and billboards on the I-10 West near Cabazon, and in Silver Lake, Los Angeles. While it’s difficult to measure the direct impact of billboard advertising, they are a very visible strategy for driving general awareness about the Twentynine Palms name and brand.
Dusastre presented three options for billboard advertising on Interstate 10, and the board voted to approve the location on the I-10 East in Cabazon, which is available from February 23 to March 30 and April 27 onward. It is already sold during the Coachella and Stagecoach festivals in April. The billboard costs $800 to produce and $2,900 a month to rent and captures an estimated 412,978 weekly impressions (views). The board voted 4-0-1 to approve funding for the billboard for March, May, June, and July, and will discuss further billboard advertising options, including Los Angeles and San Diego, at a future meeting.
Board approves $20,000 in matching funds for the 29 Palms Music Series Committee 2026 Concert Series
The final agenda item, matching funds for the 29 Palms Music Series Committee’s 2026 Concert Series, was a reflection of what happens when a community works together diligently to achieve a goal and create meaningful impact. The music series was awarded a Levitt Foundation grant, which supports three years of ten free outdoor concerts per year at $40,000 a year for a total of $120,000, with the option of renewal. The matching funds would bring the yearly total to $60,000 for ten events, breaking down to $6,000 per event.
Audrey Philpot, Chair of the 29 Palms Music Series Committee and the series’ tireless champion, presented a budget of how TBID matching funds would be used and the impact they would have. She also introduced Austin Shupe of Yucca Man Records, who is the newest member of the committee. Shupe will bring his extensive experience of music and event production to the events. Philpot explained that in addition to booking the talent, the committee has arranged the logistics:
We have to have sound and lights and a stage crew to produce the events. Those are represented in the cash columns. We have to have insurance, we have to have extra bathrooms, we have to have security now, and you know, all of those items need to be arranged.
The board was quick to decide and to support. In Uyeda’s motion to approve the funding support. He also praised the work of Philpot and the 29 Palms Music Series Committee’s work:
You have to take risks on new things that are exciting and have upside. And where you want to place that risk is with people that are involved in the process over and over again, not just when it serves them. I see you at all these meetings. You’re involved in a lot of aspects of the city, so I make a motion to approve this request.
The funding passed 4-0-1. “Please excuse me if I cry,” said Philpot as applause rippled through the room.
Future agenda items
At the conclusion of the meeting the board approved two future agenda items: Vice-Char Ramsey proposed a workshop with Twentynine Palms-based event producers to brainstorm events and how to work together, and Uyeda proposed including the Planning Department to understand the necessary steps from a planning perspective to get event spaces approved, as well as inviting stakeholders such as hotel and vacation rental owners. A date for the session was not determined.
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