There’s something rotten with the tourism state in Terrace. City Council has approved this funding to a city mandated and appointed council that has indicated its goals to promote infrastructure development, streamline government processes regarding tenure and other regulations, and promote value added tourism businesses and to achieve world class standards on par with other destinations. These are wonderful goals that should benifit all the tourism businesses in the region. But there is not business plan, no clear concept of how this is to done and no method to let anyone outside of the region - tourists - know about it. Where is the accountability? How does it justify removing the $75,000 funding from Terrace Tourism - a Destination Marketing Organization with a definitive 5 year plan and mandate? Both groups have different but interconnected goals. How does on rate 3 times the funding that the other has received in the past? Why does one receive preferred treatment to the other?
I agree that something is rotten in Terrace & I wonder if perhaps there is more to this situation than what Terrace Tourism is telling the community. In the beginning of this whole process Terrace Tourism was asked to expand their mandate. That the City recognized that the expanded mandate was going to require more funding and that they were preparded to come to the table with more of these funds. The City realized that the 2% $$'s had specific areas that the these funds were to be spent. It would seem to me that all Terrace Tourism had to do was agree to grow into a tourism organization that would support that whole tourism community not just the hotel owners. Questions is why do they choose not to grow, why would any organization want to stay the same? Perhaps the Board and Staff are afraid of failing so chose to hide behind the City's decision to ask for a full service tourism organization. How can Terrace Tourism justify spending over $250K on marketing and only marketing. What does $250K buy? The recent info package that was sent out shows the 2005 financial info, what has happend in 2006? As a taxpayer in this community I think the City was on the right track. It is my dollars that funds this organization and as such it is their/my right to have a say in how this money is spent. If Terrace Tourism does not want to do the work then by all means get an organization going that does. There are many communities in this province that have seen the light of the tourism $$$'s and if the City wants to get us on this map then I say "Good for them!"
2 comments:
There’s something rotten with the tourism state in Terrace.
City Council has approved this funding to a city mandated and appointed council that has indicated its goals to promote infrastructure development, streamline government processes regarding tenure and other regulations, and promote value added tourism businesses and to achieve world class standards on par with other destinations. These are wonderful goals that should benifit all the tourism businesses in the region. But there is not business plan, no clear concept of how this is to done and no method to let anyone outside of the region - tourists - know about it. Where is the accountability?
How does it justify removing the $75,000 funding from Terrace Tourism - a Destination Marketing Organization with a definitive 5 year plan and mandate?
Both groups have different but interconnected goals. How does on rate 3 times the funding that the other has received in the past? Why does one receive preferred treatment to the other?
I agree that something is rotten in Terrace & I wonder if perhaps there is more to this situation than what Terrace Tourism is telling the community.
In the beginning of this whole process Terrace Tourism was asked to expand their mandate. That the City recognized that the expanded mandate was going to require more funding and that they were preparded to come to the table with more of these funds. The City realized that the 2% $$'s had specific areas that the these funds were to be spent.
It would seem to me that all Terrace Tourism had to do was agree to grow into a tourism organization that would support that whole tourism community not just the hotel owners.
Questions is why do they choose not to grow, why would any organization want to stay the same? Perhaps the Board and Staff are afraid of failing so chose to hide behind the City's decision to ask for a full service tourism organization.
How can Terrace Tourism justify spending over $250K on marketing and only marketing. What does $250K buy?
The recent info package that was sent out shows the 2005 financial info, what has happend in 2006?
As a taxpayer in this community I think the City was on the right track. It is my dollars that funds this organization and as such it is their/my right to have a say in how this money is spent. If Terrace Tourism does not want to do the work then by all means get an organization going that does. There are many communities in this province that have seen the light of the tourism $$$'s and if the City wants to get us on this map then I say "Good for them!"
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