A proposed Hotel Tax Bylaw is one vote away from adoption, which would levy a three per cent tax on all hotel and motel room stays and some bed and breakfast stays in the City of Cranbrook.

The estimated $450,000 generated would be provided to Cranbrook Tourism to conduct tourism marketing for the city.

Cranbrook council last night unanimously passed the first three readings of Hotel Tax Bylaw No. 3892, a key component to the city’s Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) application.

“The bylaw is a formal request of the province through the Ministry of Finance to levy the tax on behalf of the municipality and is a requirement of the Municipal and Regional District Tax (MRDT) program for the DMO application,” a city staff report explained.

Cranbrook Tourism was created and incorporated under the Society Act on August 7, 2015.

“The purpose of the society is to market and promote Cranbrook and region as a preferred, year-round destination for leisure, meetings and nature-based travel so as to attract more visitors to the region, grow the visitor economy (i.e. increase visitor spending, employment and tax revenue) and contribute to improve quality of life for residents,” the city staff report explained.

The society is chaired by Wildstone Golf Course general manager Chris Andrews, who is joined by four other board members, all local hotel owners and managers.

Cranbrook Tourism will oversee and manage tourism marketing, programs and projects developed and administered by the society and will be reviewed on an annual basis by council,” the city report said.

Adoption is expected at council’s March 6 meeting.

Lead image: One of the many accommodation businesses on Cranbrook’s busy highway thoroughfare, with the freshly slathered Rockies shining in the background last week. Ian Cobb/e-KNOW image

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