Lack of Tourists, the City and the PHA

[livewire]

I operate a business on Lakeshore and tourism this summer is dismal. I think it's time that all business owners, not just seasonal, start DEMANDING answers from the city at to what they are doing to FORCE the PHA to spend the hotel tax they give them to market the WHOLE city, not just themselves.

The 2 % hotel tax is collected by accommodaters, then given to the province, then the province gives it to the city and the city gives it to the PHA.

To date the only marketing the PHA has done is to benefit the members of the PHA ONLY through Challenge Penticton, to rent their rooms.

It's criminal!!

Businesses in town - we need to unite and get some answers!!!

I'm doing what I can but they are ignoring little old me. We need a bigger force!

[DblDwn11]

Putting the PHA in charge of that kind of money, with that responsibility, was a terrible decision.

So far, they have done zip and it really shows. Almost every business in town will comment on how slow the summer tourist business has been. They didn't even begin making a plan until May! Every other municipality already has their plans in place for 2014 and I have yet to hear what the PHA is doing.....

Shame on Barb and the rest of the PHA on bamboozling the City and taxpayers.

Hopefully a new Mayor will correct this ridiculous situation.

[kgcayenne]

I think the bulk of missing tourists have things to do, like clean up after some flood waters.

[livewire]

So the I only tourists we hav are from downtown Calgary? You're missing the point! 50% of our tourism comes from lower mainland. 49% from Alberta- and Alberta is more than just Calgary-and the other 1% makes up the rest if the world! Read my original post. We need answers! The PHA is sitting on something like $700,000 and paying one guy to sit on it instead of marketing our city as a destination!

[southy]

A quote from Trinka Pontes chair of the PHA in a May 24th article in the Penticton Western:

“The Penticton Hospitality Association is pleased that the HRT renewal application is moving forward,” said Trinka Pontes, Penticton Hospitality Association chair. “This allows our members to focus on the coming tourist season and keep the momentum going with marketing aimed at bringing visitors to Penticton in the future.”

I find it interesting that this individual says that control " will allow members to focus on the coming tourist season and keep the momentum going with marketing aimed at brining visitors to Penticton IN THE FUTURE."

The future is now is it not? With that large of a buget they should have been running heavy campaigns on the coast and in Alberta. What marketing was done? What did they use for vehicles, ie: media campaigns? Who made the decisions to do whatever they did? How were these campaigned created and who approved the creative? Gee, you know what I don't recall seeing any ads for Penticton. They were running weren't they.

Livewire, I'm beginning to understand your frustration and all I did was read the May 24th article in the Western. Wow!

[civil]

Most of the motels/hotels during the Challenge week are not filled up like they used to be during the Ironman.

[livewire]

How about this idea. A flood hits calgary. Send them $100,000 for relief and a slogan that says..... Helping yo to clean up so we can see you next year! Every media outlet across Alberta and BC, Maybe even Canada would have picked that story up! And we would have provided help.

[livewire]

Don't get me wrong here,I hope Challenge Penticton will be successful and I think that it was the right decision to change. Yes it might take some time but Ironman wanted and demanded too much. That is not the meaning behind this post and I hope we don't start debating that situation here again. It's the other 8-10 weekends a summer where we need to bring the people and the PHA with all our tax dollars are failing us, and the City of Penticton needs to provide us with answers. Now.

[DblDwn11]

Southy nailed it.

In order to 'have momentum', you have to already be moving.

The PHA has done nothing. What's worse is they don't have a bloody clue where to start. They aren't tourism marketing professionals. They are motel operators (and in a few cases, that's a generous title).

The ONLY person giggling all the way to the bank is the notorious owner of the largest hotel on the lake. By sabotaging the original group (Tourism Penticton) and forcing council to allow the PHA to manage the hotel tax, he has effectively handicapped his competition. He knew they weren't up to the task of marketing Penticton and he does his own marketing. So he ends up with a nice, full hotel & busy restaurants while the rest of Penticton is deathly quiet.

Quite the chess move. Bravo.

[Darkre]

I was recently in Vancouver and actually heard a radio ad several times advertising Penticton. Not sure how effective an ad in July is in attracting tourists to town as most people have made their vacation plans by now.

P.S. the ad SUCKED! cheesy sound effects that I actually had to think about to figure out what they were (a popping sound that was supposed to be a bottle of wine opening and a golf ball going into the hole). I wouldn't have wasted my time figuring them out if it wasn't an ad for Pen

[XT225]

Livewire, not sure if you own a Motel on Lakeshore or Restaurant but if its a Motel, I think that the Vacation Rentals by Owner in town are certainly NOT helping Hotel/Motel business. I know for a fact that some of them are NOT legal and the City should be looking into this. It doesn't take much to make them legal but they aren't all doing so. My neighbour runs one and its NOT listed with the City, and as such its illegal. Normally, I would look the other way but with continual coming and going of different tenants all Summer, its getting frustrating. I hate to turn anyone in but I may have to. The Ironman (now Challenge Penticton) is a prime example of groups of people renting houses (some legal; others not) rather than book Motels. Again, if you do run a Motel/Hotel, the tourists could very well BE here in town; just patronizing a different type of housing.

ps: On the positive side, last Sunday when Global Vancouver ran their news spots from Penticton; it likely really put us on the map and at no cost to taxpayers.

[livewire]

XT255 - very good points. Another issue the City has to look at - but they won't... or they say they will...but they won't. (kind of like the fact that there is a water main problem on power and lakeshore that they keep saying they are looking in to and don't)

Keep in mind the point of my post. What is the city doing to ensure the PHA is spending our money the market the city????

(no, I don't own a hotel or motel on lakehsore..... just manage a small business)

[tmjones]

I spoke with a Penticton motel owner back in May. They run a ma and pa family type motel. I asked her what her summer booking looked like?
Shook her head and said she has never in her 20 plus years in this industry here in Penticton has she ever seen it so bad. She only had a few bookings. Usually she was pretty close to being filled up. This caught my concern and I knew we were in for a rough summer.
Penticton needs to advertise!. We cannot rely on our weather and beaches to attract people...oh, I guess you can add wineries to that too.
Even the Big guys know advertising works.

[irish61]

I'm not a business owner of any sort. Just your average working person. I can tell you I am finding it harder and harder to make the paycheque make ends meet and what gets cut is my fun money. The cost of fuel, electricity, food, etc prohibits me from building up my vacation funds. I too noticed the campgrounds aren't full and the City isn't as busy but I think it's a combination of a lot of things as to why there aren't people vacationing here that no amount of marketing will fix. Families can't afford to travel far from home! More and more are struggling. The expense to travel, the cost to do things once you get there, it's expensive to eat out etc. I'm looking at how to do things for free when I get my summer holidays and I think there are a whole lot more people like me out there in the same boat. Just working to try and get by and the vacation to a sunny resort like Penticton takes a few years to save up for. Yes, I agree if you are paying a tax to an organization to market on your behalf you have the right to keep their feet to the fire, but I really don't think you can lay all the blame on them if the people aren't coming here.

[totoro]

"My neighbour runs one and its not listed with the City, and as such its illegal.... It doesn't take much to make them legal but they aren't all doing so....I hate to turn anyone in but I may have to."

Nice.

You do realize that if you HAVE to turn your neighbour in this will happen:
1. They will register their house with the City as this is a legal use and continue to do business, perhaps with less respect for your concerns.
2. You get to live next to someone who knows you reported them just to try to create trouble with and for them.