KAYSVILLE — The tourism industry has a huge impact on Utah’s economy.

There are 113,000 employees across the state directly involved in that industry, including thousands in Davis County, says Michael Johnson.

The Layton resident is the new CEO of the Utah Hotel & Lodging Association. His office is in the quarters he occupied when he was manager of Davis Cable Channel 17, leased from the Davis Chamber of Commerce, here.

“It’s exciting. There’s a great tradition, a lot of history” to the hotel and lodging industry in the state, Johnson said. “My eyes have been opened as to how much of an economic engine and how important this industry is to the state’s economy.”

“I’m really excited for Michael and look forward to working with him,” said Barbara Riddle, CEO of the Davis County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “They are a strong voice for the hotel community. It’s great to have someone so familiar with Davis County as executive director.”

Johnson, although only 26, has been heavily involved in Davis County activities. For instance, as a 17-year-old student at Viewmont High School, he served as student representative on the Davis School Board.

“Tourism and travel is so important,” Johnson said, noting the multi-faceted aspect of the hotel industry, which is impacted by skiing, conventions and business travel, not to mention family and other leisure travel.

“It’s an industry that is very important to the state. There are just under 18,000 hotel rooms across the state, including about 1,100 in Davis County,” Johnson said.

“We try to promote and protect the interests of hotels, work very closely with the Legislature, Governor’s Office of Tourism and the Governor’s Office,” he said.

One example of that was a proposal to mandate a certain type of deadbolt on doors or accepting certain animals in hotels, Johnson said.

An issue the industry will be involved with now is promoting a change in the payment of sales tax, he explained. Currently, hotels must pay sales tax when purchasing toiletries, such as soaps and shampoos, that are provided for guests. Then, guests are charged a sales tax on those same items as a part of their room charge.

“It’s unfair. The hotels could save thousands of dollars” if they weren’t charged sales tax when purchasing supplies, Johnson said.

The issue of immigration impacts the hotel industry, Johnson said. Many members of the cleaning staff at hotels are drawn from among the immigrant population.

“What laws make sense?” when it comes to immigration, he asked. “Our (member) properties feel very strongly. They want to be legal” in what they do, he emphasized.

“It has been difficult to find employees and will be in the future,” but it has become easier with the recession.

More hotels are constantly being built, from several new ones in Cache County, to a new Windgate in St. George, the first of that high-end national chain to open in Utah, he said.

The association includes about 100 members, from small mom-and-pop bed-and-breakfast operations and lodges, to the large hotels with hundreds of employees.

Johnson is the first CEO the group has had for some years. The nonprofit group is overseen by a board of directors, which includes Scott Lunt, general manager of the Hilton Garden Hotel and the Davis Conference Center, in Layton.

In his spare time, Johnson enjoys being involved in politics. He worked on his first political campaign in 2000 and has been elected as a Republican party Senate district chair.

tbusselberg@davisclipper.com