Good! The GVRD won't get any more money from this region through hotel use, food, booth rental, etc.

There are better things to spend the money on.

What a joke. But our wood chips will be in the podium for the atheletes to step on, just like the bc government (el Gordo) has done to PG'ers and everyone with the advent of the HST.

The Northern Capital missed an opportunity.
Maybe next time...

I think this is a missed opportunity also. Better representation here than say in Turin (but no crying over split milk).

so 350,000 tourists are coming to an area and "tourism PG" decides not to be there?
Oh right, we got badges...

Better than the Federal government who gave an American company 11 million dollars to build their Canada Pavilion for the Olympics that is just a freaking tent that will be dismantled after the event...OMG! I am going to puke! What is this world coming to and when the hell are CANADIANS going to stand up for themselves? SHEEPLE!

Baaaaaa! Tax me! Baaaaaaaaa! Tax me some more! Baaaaaa!!!!

Well this may be unpopular but Prince George is not a tourist destination. Glad we didn't spend the money to waste our money on this. Who knows how much a 17 day delgation would have cost. I'm guessing a thousand a day each for two people - 34,000.00? Fill a pothole instead.

That said, we actually live in an outdoor paradise and probably do a pretty poor job marketing ourselves. But we need to market ourselves to the right people. We're a mountain bike mecca as far as trails go. We've got some of the best white water for kayaking in the country. Our x-country ski trails are exceptional.

Even our skiing is great. Sure, we don't have high speed quad chairs at Purden or Powder King, but we've got some of the most interesting terrain to ski, and almost never a lift lineup. I prefer an 8 minute chair ride to a 15 minute wait in a line at Whistler to get a 3 minute ride up the hill.

Lots of positives here but it seems whoever Tourism PG is, they don't know that they exist or who to market them to.

Personally, I wouldn't live anywhere else.

Pathetic, money for this, money for that but just when we need some much needed advertisement this gritty little TOWN can't pull it off. Badges, yeah that oughta do it.

This just shows the priorities of a flawed system.

Northern BC Tourism dropped the ball on this one. NBCTA gets over a half a million a year from the provincial government to partner with Northern Tourism advertisers on advertisement campaigns, and to sponsor booths at tourism trade shows around the world. They have the money, but not the priorities, because they are not really accountable for measuring success.

Under the provincial regional marketing strategy the tourism dollars are funded to 'not for profit' private organizations to do the tourism sponsorship for the various regions in the province with political appointments that make 6-figure incomes (including expense accounts) to run a staff that makes minimum wages. Its not a model that really promotes tourism as a whole... as in our vast resources in provincial parks and such... but rather it is designed to promote the private interests of individual tourism 'related' businesses in partnering their advertising expenses. A few years ago they were given a one time fund of $2 million and the money went into over paying for a building on 5th avenue for the 'not for profit' organization... rather than promoting tourism is an example of the organizations priorities... money that could have done many wonderful things for tourism in this region.

The model is one of a small circle of 'stakeholders' that make all the decisions with a firewall of accountability between them and their decisions and the politicians that fund them. As a 'non profit' privatized organization that subcontracts to the province they are not accountable to freedom of information requests.

When it comes to doing consumer trade shows relating to tourism... the decisions on what shows NBCTA will have a booth at are not made by stats on where our potential tourists would be coming from, but rather what places office staff and stakeholders haven't yet visited. Its always 5-star hotels because that is what the show organizers always make as part of the package in their own deals with their local hotels. All expenses are paid for by the BC tax payer through NBCTA budget.

Consumer trade shows they will attend often include shows in Britain, Germany, France for oversees shows, and always a New York show or two... Florida, Arizona, and California are always good shows in the winter... and Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, and Seattle often make the cut because they have to go to those ones. Most years 20 shows are attended by NBCTA where they have a booth to display often the services of a single stakeholder with brochures for hand out on the region.

Any funds going to an expensive show like the Olympics means they might not get to travel to Europe this year in the budget and those are the ones where the money goes into for travel expense and such... often those trips involve 2-weeks of travel time.

So I don't blame Tourism PG at all for not being involved in an Olympic booth, but rather the priorities of the NBCTA and its private stakeholders who have other more personal priorities to spend our tax dollars on for tourism promotion.

I think the NBCTA model is a completely flawed system and does this region no benefit to the greater potential of tourism that is not being realized.

So, from this article, I gather there will be people at the Olympics representing Prince George, wearing something that will distinguish them as being from Prince George? Who are these people?

And the reception? Who is putting this on? Who is attending? In other words, how much is the city of Prince George spending on Olympic Games attendence?? A reception in Vancouver during the Olympics is a very high-priced item.

I am looking forward to attending the reception! All I'll need is an invitation, an airline ticket PG - Van return, a couple of nights stay at a fine hotel, all expenses and meals paid.

Make my New York staek medium rare and my favourite wine is a Premium Select vintage Barolo.

I speak three languages.

Steak, that is, whatever...as long as it melts on my tongue!

BTW, I am not interested in attending any Olympic venues so I won't need any expensive tickets.

You are getting a bargain if you pick me - a couple of grand or a grand and a half would pay for the whole trek!

And the train stops in Quesnel still.

No doubt we can expect to hear from our local politician soon, as to whether or not they will be attending.

Lets See...Who might attend the reception??

1. Hill
2. Harris
3. Bell
4. Rustad
5. Bond
6. Rodgers
7. 2 or 3 Councillors.
8. IPG Dignataries.

Plus significant others. This would give you approx 22 people, throw in some past Politicians like Colin K. and you have a reception.

So who is the straw boss at Northern BC Tourism. why did they pull out at the last minute. How come quesnel pulled it off but not us.

Someone should be looking for a new job pretty soon.

I said it before, and I will say it again, "this place is a s#!+ hole!" The people that run it are on drugs, I'm sure.

This is a total embarrassment to our City.We have a bunch of wankers steering the ship. Me thinks we may sink very soon!

Huge mistake...huge.
But then,it is not the first one is it?
Where is the leadership?

Since there will be no kiosk for Northern BC Tourism I gather that not only PG but Prince Rupert, Terrace, Smithers, Vanderhoof and Kitimat will not have any reprsentation either???

I find it unbelievable that these cities could not get together and share and staff a kiosk for the 17 days, especially since BC will never again host a Winter Olympics in the lifetime of most of the people here.

Tourism Prince George's "Prince George Ambassador program for Tourism Prince George."

Looking for more information on that I came up empty handed...

Have you heard about the Canadian Pavilion?
10 million for a tent! An embarrassment done up in the States. Thank you Harper.

If this town is such a s#!+ hole, you should probably move. We definitely don't need people putting down Prince George, thats the last thing thats going to help make anything get better. I live in Prince George because I like it here, if I didn't I would not be here...

If this town is such a s#!+ hole, you should probably move. We definitely don't need people putting down Prince George, thats the last thing thats going to help make anything get better. I live in Prince George because I like it here, if I didn't I would not be here...

If this town is such a s#!+ hole, you should probably move. We definitely don't need people putting down Prince George, thats the last thing thats going to help make anything get better. I live in Prince George because I like it here, if I didn't I would not be here...

yes Tina383, we heard you the first time. It's too bad that our City Council doesn't listen. Maybe if I post the same comment 3 or 4 times, they will pay attention.

Glad you like it here, and so do I. But it is still a S#!+ hole, plain and simple!

Harbinger says " ... And the train stops in Quesnel still."


Oh? For lumber? or tourists?