After their first year having Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in their coverage area, Tourism Golden has some positive figures to report at their annual general meeting on May 2.
Their revenue from the two per cent accommodators’ tax increased by nine per cent for their past fiscal year, with overall revenue increasing by just under nine per cent.
“We are in a strong financial position,” said Joanne Sweeting, marketing manager for Tourism Golden.
Sweeting said they’ve made in the past year (such as a 19 per cent increase in website visits), and the community’s extensive coverage in national and even international media.
The room at the Island Restaurant was packed for the AGM, serving as an indicator of just how much the organization has strengthened in the seven years since it began.
It was not too long ago Tourism Golden struggled to find people to serve on their board. Now they are holding elections for board positions because too many people put their names forward.
Moving forward, Tourism Golden intends to build on the success they have been having. They are continuing to work on their website, and will be launching a three-year research project to gather behavioural and satisfaction information about visitors to Golden.
“The increase in accommodator tax revenue indicates success, but it tells us nothing about our customers,” said Sweeting.
The research project will explore who Golden’s visitors are, what they do while they are here, what they are happy with, and what they are not happy with. All the data will be confidential, and will help tourism companies improve their operations.
