New Brunswick tourism which is all decked up with the wildlife, sea beaches and nature parks decided against bringing in a hotel levy aimed at encouraging growth in the industry.Published on : Saturday, April 7, 2018
New Brunswick tourism which is all decked up with the wildlife, sea beaches and nature parks decided against bringing in a hotel levy aimed at encouraging growth in the industry.
It is a new initiative by the tourism department to increase the growth of tourism. Dan Myers, chair of the association’s board of directors and general manager of the Crowne Plaza in Fredericton said that it brings more revenue in tourism business.
The travel association in New Brunswick had pushed for the levy — a percentage of a hotel room rate added to a customer’s bill — and felt sure Tourism Minister John Ames supported the idea.
Pooled together, the revenue from the hotel levy could be invested in tourism marketing, the association argued.
Myers also said that a destination marketing fee would help different regions throughout the province market and drive business to the area.
Myers said many regions across Canada introduced the hotel taxation to help bring in business, and he called it a no-lose move. Some parts of New Brunswick have their own hotel levy, but it is not legislated across the province.
The Saint John Hotel Association, Miramichi River Tourism Association, Events Bathurst, Charlotte County Tourism Association, and the City of Edmundston all administer their own voluntary marketing levy programs.
Myers said he met with the tourism minister and was led to believe the government would bring in the hotel levy.
Ames’s statement announcing the government’s decision said it was made after “thorough discussions” with the Tourism Industry Association of New Brunswick, the group Myers speaks for.
Tags: Crowne Plaza in Fredericton, new brunswick, New Brunswick tourism, Tourism Minister John Ames