The BC government has granted the City of Prince George a tax increase to help with hotel accommodations, just in time for summer festivities.
The hike will see the current 2% tax jump up to 3%, the maximum number a municipality can receive according to Tourism PG CEO Erica Hummel.
While it may seem like a small difference on paper, she says this will double the sector’s future.
“It’s a significant part of our funding; it’s definitely our biggest funder. Currently the tax pays us around $800,000 and this will jump another $400,000.”
She says this will also bring more money to host more events than what’s already on the menu, including conventions, meetings, and sports.
“We’re already planning well-ahead for the summer. There’s lots of programming that we’ve already put in place and we’re just looking to boost it as soon as we can with the new funding.”
Hummel adds for the sports side of tourism, the investment will enable long-term growth.
“Every dollar we put into marketing can have a return, and that’s a long-term game. We’re doing the sales, we’re doing the bidding, but we might not see that event come for two to three years down the road. We’re expecting this to be sustainable.”
The new tax will be implemented on Canada Day, July 1st, of this year.
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