Encouraging Signs on Tourism in P.G.
Prince George, B.C. – With just a couple of weeks left in the summer tourism season, Tourism P.G. continues to connect with folks traveling in the area.
Tourism P.G. Chief Executive Officer, Erica Hummel says it’s too early to say if tourism is up or down “We won’t have those figures for a while yet, but, the hotel tax is showing an increase of about 6.5% over the same time last year.”
Hummel says while the number of visitors to the Visitors Centre in Prince George is down, the P.G. Tourism staff have been reaching out to visitors by visiting them at locations throughout the City, including where they are camped, or parked as the case may be, so those interactions will be factored into the final numbers.
August has been declared Staycation month as the Province has encouraged British Columbians to experience all that B.C. has to offer. Hummel says it has had an impact here, as there have been plenty of locals bringing their visiting friends and family to the Visitor’s Centre on First Avenue.
Comments
The hotel tax is a poor way to gauge tourism in Prince George.
Most people who come to Prince George do so on a regular basis, and they are shoppers from outlying areas, and people who come here for business reasons.
These people cannot by any stretch of the imagination be classified as **Tourists**.
Once you throw these numbers into the dung heap, you have very few actual tourists, which makes sense, because Prince George is not, nor has it every been a tourist destination.
Tracking down tourists in camps, and in parking lots seems like a vain attempt to up the numbers to make it look like the tourist bureau actually has a reason for being. Hmmmmm.
Hotel taxes are used everywhere, Palopu. People go to Vancouver and other larger centres to shop, are you saying people who pay hotel taxes there aren’t “Tourists” by your definition?
Your hair splitting of what defines a ‘tourist’ is misguided. Hotel taxes and other such fees are here to stay, PG just happened to be one of the last places to implement such a tax.
As long as cities have designated Tourism organizations, they have to be paid for in some way. Most other cities in Canada use hotel taxes and other such levies to pay for them, why shouldn’t PG be the same?
The City of PG got rid of it’s last sani-dump station a couple of years ago. What does that say about the importance this city places on tourism, when they vote to get rid of such an important support service for the “rubber tire” RV tourism market?
Yup go ahead and list the businesses offering this service all the while knowing the city does not “actively support” tourism to the extent it should! Welcome to Prince3 George RV tourists :-)
They don’t even have a city sani station that you dump your RV tanks. City should put in an RV park close to town.
Oh- another thing keep the fuel prices high so you can chase every tourist right through town.
Amazing the negativity here at 250! Everything negative all the time…nice life you all live!
The Quinn St. sani dump wasn’t in a tourist friendly location to begin with.
As opposed to what oldman insinuates, there are lots of RV parks close to town and business operated sani dump locations in more tourist friendly locations. Also, oldman apparently hasn’t heard that we have amongst the lowest fuel prices in BC.
Yes, it would be a nice to have to have an easy to access public sani-dump station for the drive through traffic, but there are more pressing priorities.
OMG- JohnyBelt you do not have a clue when it comes to tourists that RV and what they look for. I could name so many that other citys have and even small towns have.
More than you, oldman.
JB- Obviously not when you think a city sani station is not important to have for RVs.
i recently did a pretty long tour of the province in a class b, all around vancouver island, and I can tell you, without a doubt, that PG had the cheapest gas we encountered. I’m not sure about that comment. speaking to some people from north van, they were in disbelief that I had filled up prior to leaving PG at 1.25L. there are things to complain about, this is true, but not gas prices.
oldman-Did you miss the part where I talked about all of the other sani stations in and around PG? One more place provided by taxpayers (the City) would be nice, but it’s not essential.
JB-we are talking about makeing tourists more welcome to the city. There are a lot of things that are not essential but I believe It would be a plus for city.Just to name a few- Fraser Lake,Quesnel,100 mile house,Cache Creek and many more.
JB –another thing many of the private sani stations are not designed for large units towing a vehicle.You drive into some of them and find out you can’t turn around so you have to unhook to get turned aound.
JohnnyBelt. In your mind confusion reigns supreme.
1. From April 1,2013 an 8% Provincial Sales Tax (PST) is now being charged by hotels, motels, cottages, inns, resorts and other roofed accommodations on all overnight room rentals as well as the 5% Federal GST.
2. In British Columbia the Municipal and Regional District Tax (MRDT) of up to 2% is charged in provincially approved municipalities by hotel, motels, cottages, inns, resorts and other roofed accommodations. This levy is used to fund local DESTINATION MARKETING ORGANIZATIONS.
So, Prince George got the approval of the Province and now charges the 2% plus the original 8% for a total of 10% hotel tax. The 2% which amounts to approximately $500,000.00 per year is transferred to the PG Tourist Bureau, who manages to find ways to spend it. The 8% goes to the Province.
Once again, lets not group people from MacKenzie, Vanderhoof, Ft St James, and other small towns around Prince George as tourists. These people probably come to Prince George at least 26 times per year to shop, go the hospital, visit a doctor, buy a car, etc; etc;. Nor should we be calling business people who come to Prince George on a regular basis **tourists**,
The addition of the 2% on the original 8% Hotel tax was optional, and of course Prince George the **Gouger City** was one of the first to grab the money.
As far as cheap gas goes. People have short memories. For many many years we paid the highest prices, and now because of Costco we have lower prices. No thanks to any Government or tourist organization.
Keep banging that same old tired drum, Palopu. I’m sure you make sense to someone.
Your repetitive diatribe of what you consider a tourist is completely irrelevant.
Palopu: “The addition of the 2% on the original 8% Hotel tax was optional, and of course Prince George the **Gouger City** was one of the first to grab the money.”
Would you prefer Tourism PG be funded through the 2% surcharge or through general taxpayer revenue?
Tell me again how your definition of ‘tourist’ matters? Answer: It doesn’t.
Fuel prices right now. National average 130.97—BC 138.97. Look what they did to diesel prices after Costco lowered gas prices. We have been paying far to much for diesel fuel in PG. Diesel fuel has always been less on the lower mainland and van.Island.
Supply and demand, oldman. We love our diesel pigs here in PG.
Here’s a classic thread where gus puts Palopu in his place on his screwy ‘what is a tourist’ idea.
If he doesn’t take my word for it, maybe he’ll take gus’s.
———-
gus: “Palopu wrote: “They are not (REPEAT NOT) tourists”
gus: And I will counter that with that they are tourists. So who is right and why?
Definition of a tourist?
The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people “travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes.”
So, Palopu, are you saying that even though you are not part of the Tourism Industry, the Tourism Industry should not be setting the definition and standards of their business, but that you should be the one to determine that?
Any other Industry that you are not part of that you feel you are the authority to set their standards? Lawyers? Nurses? Forestry?”
blog/view/24403/3/hotel+revenue+up+in+p.g.
Obviously JohnnyBelt you wouldn’t know the difference between a **Tourist** and a captive consumer, if one bit you.
Before the implementation of the 2% hotel tax, the PG Tourist Bureau was in fact funded by the City of Prince George. I believe that they still get some funding. In any event any money saved by the City by bringing in this tax, and giving the revenue to the Tourist Bureau was never returned to the taxpayer. It was left in general revenue and spent on some other **Fantastic** project.
I suspect that if you tried to convince the people from the surrounding towns, who basically are compelled to come to Prince George for a great number of services, and consumer goods, that they were tourists, they would laugh you out of the room.
Time to expand you mind and see things as they really are, as opposed to what you think they are.
Posted by: realitycheck on August 14 2014 11:25 AM
Amazing the negativity here at 250! Everything negative all the time…nice life you all live!
Yes even your negative comment about negative commenters is negative!
I thought the new Sani dump was Wallmart parking lot of the Casino! A lot of RVs at those places .
Palopu: “Time to expand you mind and see things as they really are, as opposed to what you think they are.”
You should talk.
I have to give you credit, you really do stick to your skewed view of reality. You were spouting the same BS two years ago. Nobody bought it then, and we don’t buy it now.
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