Idaho’s anti-transgender bills will have a deep economic impact on tourism and business

As 2020 began, the forecast for Idaho’s $3.7 billion tourism industry looked to continue its record-setting pace. No one could have predicted that a pandemic would soon decimate the industry. And none of us imagined that we, being in this industry, would be weighing in on two recent transgender bills passed by the Idaho Legislature, H.B. 500 and H.B. 509.

However, the unintended economic consequences of these two bills will materially harm our industry and detrimentally impact businesses throughout Idaho. Our intent is not to debate the merits of the legislation. But it is vital that Idahoans understand the economic repercussions that will further devastate our already hard-hit tourism industry.

The new transgender legislation triggered California Assembly Bill 1887, which bans state-funded travel to any state that passes a law which they deem discriminatory. Idaho has been added to the list of 11 other states where state-funded travel is prohibited. The ban limits travel to Idaho for government employees as well as high school and college teams, choirs, etc. In addition, a precedent exists for other states and cities, including New York, Washington, Salt Lake, Seattle and San Francisco, to follow suit and restrict travel.

There is also a stigma associated with banned states that goes beyond government travel, scaring away visitors from across the country who aren’t state employees. The result is a large number of events, even those without government attendees, will cancel and others will never consider coming to Idaho. Other banned states have seen the real impact to their economy. For example, Nashville immediately lost $4 million from one conference and Louisville had two Chicago-based companies pull conventions in solidarity with the California ban, losing over $2 million.

In fact, Boise hosted the 2017 Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists conference that was scheduled to be held in North Carolina. As a result of North Carolina’s “Bathroom Bill,” that conference pulled out of the state and moved to Boise where 1,400 attendees utilized 12 hotels over four days. This is still the largest conference Boise Centre has hosted to date with an economic benefit to the Treasure Valley in excess of $1 million. The irony is that while Idaho has been a beneficiary of such bans in the past, we will now be subject to a similar exodus as conferences move to other states, or never consider Idaho in the first place.

Two high-profile events, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and the Big Sky basketball championships, both scheduled for March 2021 in Boise, may also move out of state. Hotels, restaurants, bars and other hospitality businesses are already struggling with the effects of COVID-19, and losing these events will only exacerbate the challenges confronting this industry. The likely cancellations due to the ban will negatively impact the Boise hospitality community by approximately $98 million. Should other states and cities follow suit, the loss will be even greater.

Adverse economic impacts will be felt throughout Idaho, from the Coeur d’Alene Resort, to the Teton Springs Lodge & Spa, to the Sun Valley Resort. The loss to Idaho’s tourism industry will be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Many work hard to promote Idaho and the Treasure Valley as a wonderful place to live and visit. Unfortunately, these transgender bills have the unintended potential to inflict significant damage on the already ailing tourism industry and our reputation as an attractive tourist destination. We are hopeful that a solution — either legislatively or in the courts — will allow travelers from all 50 states to enjoy the benefits that Boise and all of Idaho have to offer.