Tourism Prince George (TPG) has a new look and new way of operating. What used to be a branch of Initiatives Prince George is now all on its own.
It has a new CEO, a new funding formula, and perhaps a new ability to promote the city.
"The pressure is now on; there are no more excuses," said TPG head Aidan Kelly, who started in September. "The first thing I did was try to determine our key strengths and key weaknesses."
The key weakness was, Prince George does not have a tropical beach. It does not have exotic attractions.
The key strength was, it is the north's hub city and Kelly said it can capitalize on being the capital of the region.
Tourism, he said, is a lot more than flying off on an international holiday, and Prince George is geographically positioned to do a good business in that other sort of tourism.
"A family that comes to Prince George on a Costco run or to pick up a relative from the airport and stays to watch a Cougars game or a play, that is how we operate as a regional tourist hub," he said. "We need to maximize the benefits of people in our wider region coming here for shopping, conferences, meetings, concerts. I was reading in the paper about 16 teams here at Duchess Park secondary school for a sports tournament. What did all those people do when they were here? That is our best marketing shot, because we are that special draw for all over the northern part of the province."
A new levy on local hotel rooms gets pooled to fund the TPG organization. Kelly said this is the first time that the tourism agency responsible for promoting Prince George actually has a dedicated funding envelope big enough to stickhandle with, and tied to the private sector wing of the industry.
The timing couldn't be better, he said. The eyes of the nation are turning to Prince George leading up to the 2015 Canada Winter Games, when a good chunk of the country's winter tourists would be converging here.
"Winning that bid was one of the best things that ever happened to Prince George even before we host the Games," he said. "It was third-party validation. It was no longer me, or the Mayor, or Initiatives Prince George, or a hotel - people paid to say it - who said 'yes, Canada, Prince George is a great place, you should come see this place.' Having people from outside your community put you to such an intense test and you get their stamp of approval, you are the very best option, that really resonates. It is real, it is ours, and you can't take that away from Prince George. Prince George earned it, and by the time 2015 gets here, our position will be even better."
What TPG needs to do now is work at leveraging more money, and using its money smartly. Kelly said marketing is important to invest in, and partly that is advertising "but I think it is important to help out events that bring people to Prince George and show Prince George off like the Cold Snap Music Festival, the World Baseball Challenge, groups that fit that mandate of tourism promotion."
The city is undergoing a Value Of Tourism study to help TPG target its next moves. As a society, with an 11-member board, the group is getting ready for the spring arrival of the region's annual wave of tourists. They have to use the weeks of winter still ahead to get the branding of the city in place so those visitors have a harder time saying goodbye and an easier time planning their next visit.
Tourism Prince George ledger
Revenue
- Public investment (City of Prince George, Regional District of Fraser-Fort George, provincial government, etc.) ... $897,000
- Private investment (advertising sales, merchandise sales, etc.) ... $63,500
Total TPG revenue ... $960,500
Expenses
- Operating costs (rent, clerical, insurance, etc.) ... $243,000
- Salaries and wages (plus $37,500 in benefits, plus training and seasonal employees) ... $367,500
- Marketing (advertising, trade shows, market research, program investments, etc.) ... $350,000
Total TPG expenses ... $960,500
