What’s in Drumheller’s wallet? Travel Drumheller estimates 150 million dollars is left in the valley every year by tourists. It would like to see that number grow, with an eye to becoming as large a tourist destination as Banff.
Travel Drumheller attended the Monday regular meeting of Drumheller Town Council November 17 to present information and ideas on growing tourism in the valley.
Their proposal is to amend the Town’s business licence bylaw, which would allow local businesses to charge their guests/users a fee, either as a flat rate or a percentage, added on to the cost of the guest’s bill.
That fee would be collected by the Town and distributed to Travel Drumheller to fund the organization and the destination marketing fund to attract more visitors to the valley.
"Tourism is a viable economic growth platform for this community,” said Travel Drumheller’s Dan Sullivan. He noted to Council that Banff started as a one-room shack by the railroad tracks, and was built up by people with vision.
Travel Drumheller would like the user fee be mandatory so all businesses involved are on a level playing field. The proposal would see the fee first be collected by hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts and campgrounds in the first year, then possibly expand to other businesses. Increases projected by Travel Drumheller in 2020 over 2014 numbers would see 156,000 extra visitors to the Royal Tyrrell Museum, 50,800 additional room nights sold, and 5.69 million incremental room night revenue.
In addition to the Town’s business bylaw changes, work on the fee would involve the hiring of a third party agent that would be completely independent of both the Town and Travel Drumheller, and an agreement set between the Town and Travel Drumheller that Travel Drumheller is to be the Town’s agent in marketing. During the question and answer session, Council questioned whether a heritage/infrastructure fund would be a part of the marketing funds collected, and whether the fee collection would pose a financial hardship for businesses. Curtis said people are in favour of money going to market Drumheller and improved tourist infrastructure, and believes costs will be passed on from businesses to the end user.
The business licence fee discussion will be returning to Council in the near future. If Council passes the fee proposal, Curtis said the bylaw amendment could be effective January 1, 2015.
The Town estimates almost 30 per cent of employment in Drumheller directly or indirectly comes from Tourism.
