Yuba-sutter: A hidden jewel for tourists

Lodging association unveils plan to draw people to area

Local lodging businesses are hoping to highlight the area’s strengths to attract tourism and are collectively raising funds to do just that.

“There’s a river that divides us, but there is so much exciting tourism that goes on here,” said Lee Jones, owner of Harkey House Bed and Breakfast Inn in Yuba City and a board member with the Yuba-sutter Lodging Association.

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The Yuba-sutter Tourism Improvement District was created in 2017 to raise fees from night stays through local lodging businesses, with the generated revenue dedicated to marketing the area’s tourism options. A recently released report highlights what the association has planned for the year ahead with the district funds.

“There is so much potential here. We are a hidden jewel,” Jones said. “For example, about two months ago, the woman that owns the West Coast Falconry was featured in a Southwest Airlines magazine. As a result, in the last few months, we’ve had people coming to Yuba City for the falconry experience from Tennessee, Baltimore and all over.”

When someone stays at any lodging business in the Yuba-sutter area, the assessment district gets 2 percent per night. On top of that, and largely because most of the lodging options are located within the jurisdiction, Yuba City dedicates another 10 percent of its transient occupancy tax. In total, the lodg-

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