Tourism Dawson Creek contract extended to end of 2016

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — Tourism Dawson Creek saw a positive outcome for the fate of their future beyond next spring at a City Council meeting Monday morning.

Set to expire at the end of next May, the City has decided to extend their current contract to the end of next year, so that it can allow time to implement a new funding model for the tourism sector.

According to Austin Weaver, Tourism Development Coordinator, over 450 people and businesses expressed support for tourism and the contract extension.

“This positive outcome wouldn’t have been possible without support from the local tourism industry stakeholders, Dawson Creek & District Chamber of Commerce, and the willingness of Dawson Creek City Council to listen to concerned citizens,” he says.

The City received letters of support from the Art Gallery, the Village of Pouce Coupe, Kermodei Tourism, and Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism. In the meeting, City Council also listened to delegations from restaurant owners Melanie and Gerald Triebel and Pouce Coupe’s Mayor William Plowright.

Two City Councillors were also added to the recently established Tourism Advisory Group. Mayor of Dawson Creek Dale Bumstead says tourism is a big part of the city’s identity, and they will work with Tourism Dawson Creek to ensure a proper funding model suits both the city’s and the tourism sectors needs for the future.

The Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Dawson Creek had their biggest concerns about their contract being cut just as the busiest tourism season picks up, and with the 75th anniversary of the Alaska Highway coming up in 2017.

However, the news that a new, more efficient funding model for tourism in Dawson Creek is relieving.