Tourist Information Centre

[Darkre]

Tourism Penticton has requested that the City of Penticton build them a new Tourist Information Centre at a cost of close to $500,000 on a city owned parcel of land. Tourism Penticton will contribute $200,000 from their advertising budget to the project. The city would own the building. There has been no mention of whether Tourism Penticton would be renting the facilty or get use of it rent free in exchange for the $200,000.

In March 2016 a report was commissioned regarding the combined Wine and Tourist Information Centre. http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews ... ed.pdf.pdf

The report states “In addition to general consumer trends which indicate visitors are finding alternative ways to access information, the most critical findings were the rate of visitation decline and the disproportionate budget assigned to visitor servicing with limited measurable return.”

-According to the report the Tourism Penticton has an operating budget of $700,000 of which the Tourist Centre costs about 40% or $281,000 annually.
-The visitor centre has experienced a decline in visitors for many years and saw 10% fewer visits in 2015 compared to the year previous.
-Based on the $12.57 figure stated to service each visitor, there were 22,354 visitors to the information centre in 2015.
-The report also states that 40% of those visitors were local.
-That means there were 13,412 tourist visits to the centre in 2015.
-This translates to a cost of $20.95 per tourist to the info centre.

Add the expected drop in traffic to the visitor info centre expected due to the wine info centre moving into the casino, with the recent historical decline in visitors to the centre and it is not hard to envision a time when fewer than 10,000 tourists per year will visit the facility regardless of the location. The cost to provide this service will begin to approach $30 per tourist in just a few short years.

I just don’t see the value in the Tourist Centre as it now is. They are spending over $20 per tourist when that person is already here and visiting Penticton. The report was very favourable of the relationship with the wine info centre as it was an additional draw but that situation no longer exists. The report does make some interesting suggestions regarding mobile centres and better use of social media that I think would be far more cost effective in todays market. Should the city invest $300,000 in this venture plus dedicate the land required? Is spending $281,000 per year to operate the tourist centre the most effective use of Tourism Penticton’s limited budget considering the decline in visitors to the info centre that has been occurring each year?


Of note, I was actually one of the local visitors to the centre in 2015. I picked up one brochure for a facility in Osoyoos. Tourism Penticton spent $35 on my family only to have me go spend my money in Osoyoos.

[fluffy]

Wouldn't a current and comprehensive website make more sense in this age of instant online communication?

[Chimera]

I have never stopped at a tourist information centre anywhere I have ever traveled. I found everything I needed to know right on the Internet. Almost every hotel I have stayed at the front desk clerk can answer questions for you. There is no need to build a tourist centre that will have little use for $500,000. I happen to drive past the current one every day and it doesn't look like its ever been busy. I hope city council does the right thing and leave it as is or just get rid of the entire thing!

[gman313]

bahahhaahhahaah

we just went through a year or two of drama over ours in Kelowna - hilarious!

[LTD]

not really that funny since we're still getting a million plus dollar useless info center that will spend most of its time empty and at the tax payers expense

[gman313]

not really that funny since we're still getting a million plus dollar useless info center that will spend most of its time empty and at the tax payers expense

humour is in the eye of the beholder. And yes I find this absolutely hilarious

[pentona]

From another website just today:

Travel Penticton executive director Thom Tischik says the visitor information centre will be relocating back to its former digs at 888 Westminster Ave. West at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre on the corner of Power Street and Westminster Avenue.

Tischik expects the move to take place in January 2018. He says the centre will make the best with what it has in terms of parking around the location, possibly using Alberni Street for RV parking.

“It’s better than what we have at the moment. With all the functions taking place at the South Okanagan Events Centre, we’re often finding our parking area compromised,” Tischik says, adding it’s more of a concern from May through September.

The visitor centre was temporarily located to a portion of the events centre parking lot following construction of Cascades Casino last year. Prior to that it was housed along with the wine centre and the Wine Country Chamber of Commerce in the casino building, located at the corner of Power Street and Eckhardt Avenue.

Previous to that the visitor centre was located at 888 Westminster Ave. West.

[XT225]

https://www.castanet.net/news/Penticton ... ton-moving

[Darkre]

Seems like a perfect, low cost solution. This will actually open up a few more parking stalls at the SOEC as well. Not enough to make a huge difference but every spot counts.