It’s good to see Tourism Canmore Kananaskis and the Canmore Economic Development Authority have joined forces.
Being that the two group’s efforts are inextricably linked due to Canmore’s dependence on tourism, it seems a natural fit. After all, what’s generally good for tourism is generally good for all businesses in town.
Under the umbrella of Canmore Business and Tourism, it’s hoped efforts to improve both ends of the spectrum will be more successful by not diluting those efforts.
In a town which relies on tourism, there’s little difference between what’s good for tourism and what’s good for business in general.
Tourism, after all, is more than just special events and businesses specifically geared toward tourism.
In an area like Canmore, as members of the Destination Marketing Fund (DMF) have realized, it’s difficult to draw a solid line between tourism and business. To that end, volunteer DMF hotel owners really stepped up to foot the bill for then-Tourism Canmore Kananaskis, now Canmore Business and Tourism – to the tune of providing 53 per cent of the group’s funding.
In realizing tourism is a benefit to the entire community, not just their own accommodation sector, DMF owners chose to put a three per cent surcharge on hotel rooms to fund marketing and tourism initiatives collectively.
When it comes to what constitutes tourism spending, the dollars can fall all over the map in an area like the Bow Valley.
Take, for example, a family loaded into the minivan arriving to take in the sights or for a tournament of some sort.
Right up front, said family might shell out to visit a museum or national park or ski for a day; clearly spending tourism dollars. Further, though, the same family may well fill up with gas, dine at one of our many restaurants, buy a souvenir T-shirt or a work of art from a gallery.
Further still, the same family may need a flat tire fixed, decide to extend their stay by spending a night in a hotel/motel, or, realizing they’re not suitably equipped for an outing, stop in to purchase hiking boots, rain gear, a pair of mittens or munchies from a grocery store.
In the end, all of these purchases can be viewed as tourism-related. This is why an entire community needs to embrace tourism and why what’s good for one sector is good for others.
Water woes
It’s rather a hard pill to swallow (and don’t use too much water to wash it down).
With Canmorites on board with the whole idea of reducing impact on the environment, including by reducing water use, they now have to pay for it.
Who knew that cutting showers short, reducing lawn watering and fixing leaky taps would result in a hit to the pocketbook?
Paying more for using less kind of flies in the face of most reduction efforts. For most citizens, making the effort to reduce use of natural resources goes hand in hand with the hope of possibly gaining some financial incentive for the effort.
Between 2005 and 2010, there was an eight per cent decrease in residential usage and five per cent overall for the town. Not a massive reduction, but a reduction nonetheless – to now be paid for through increased water rates, which, coincidentally, will be eight per cent.
Now, the question is, do you turn off that light when exiting a room? Do you bother turning down the furnace or installing a programmable thermostat? What if electricity and gas bills then rise?
to equal your cutbacks? Should motorists try and drive less and risk a rise in gasoline prices?
