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INVERMERE – Invermere is the most recent community to sign an agreement under the B.C. Resort Municipality Initiative with the Province, allowing it to share a portion of the provincial hotel room tax revenues to invest in local resort-oriented projects, Community Development Minister Kevin Krueger announced.
“This program will bolster one of
Invermere’s primary industries by enhancing its ability to attract and meet the
needs of tourists,” said Krueger. “This additional funding stream will allow
the community to bring several tourism-oriented projects to life that highlight
the community’s natural beauty and the attributes that make it a destination of
choice.”
Under the agreement, it is
estimated that the District of Invermere will receive $600,000 over five years.
The funding is expected to support the Kinsmen Beach Improvement Program and
the development and enhancement of the Mountain-Valley Shuttle Service, the
Radium to Invermere Greenway Project, the Invermere and Panorama Trail System
and
“The B.C. Resort Municipality Initiative was set up to reward success, by linking increased tourism revenues to increased funding for local resort development and enhancement projects,” said Bill Bennett, Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts. “This agreement is great news for the tourism industry in Invermere and supports our government’s goal of doubling tourism revenues by 2015.”
Over the next five years, the agreement is expected to increase shuttle ridership; year-round occupancy rates; employment; municipal commercial tax revenue; business licences, as well as use of Kinsmen Beach.
“The
implementation of this program will help us attract tourism by investing in our
tourism infrastructure and our amenities. The benefits will be enjoyed by
the three partners in the program, as well as the local residents and business
owners within Invermere,” said Invermere Mayor Gerry Taft. “This is a very
exciting initiative, and we commend the government for their commitment to
understanding the unique challenges faced by the resort communities in British
Columbia, and their assistance in giving us another tool to make us
successful.”
Under the program, an eligible community receives a share of the provincial hotel room tax, an amount based on a formula that takes into account the level of tourist accommodation in the community, relative to other B.C. communities. To be eligible, communities must have tourism-based economies or be incorporated as a “mountain resort municipality” under the Local Government Act.
Communities must be prepared to put in place an additional two per cent hotel room tax, prepare a Resort Development Strategy that reflects the input of stakeholders and enter into a five-year, results-based tourism development agreement that sets out what will be achieved through sharing of the hotel tax.
To date, Whistler, Golden,
Rossland, Harrison Hot Springs, Radium Hot Springs,
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Ministry of Community Development 250 387-4089 |
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