Tourism Lobby Group Wants Authority to Change Marketing Levy

ARICHAT - The head of Cape Breton's largest tourism lobby group, Destination Cape Breton Association (DCBA), is urging Richmond Municipal Council and the island's five other municipalities to join his group's campaign to prevent the provincial government from having sole ownership over a marketing levy charged to the bills of visitors who book accommodations of all sizes around the island. 

Terry Smith, the DCBA chief executive officer, appeared before this month's Committee of the Whole meeting for Richmond Municipal Council, which took place on September 12 at the Richmond Municipal Building in Arichat.

During his address, Smith noted that the provincial government is preparing to put a cap on the Cape Breton Marketing Levy, which has existed for nearly two decades. However, Smith feels this will be detrimental to the Cape Breton tourism industry as a whole and to DCBA in particular, as the association continues austerity measures to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 restrictions that were in place for two years across Nova Scotia.  

"Right now, we feel we've made all the cuts that we can make," Smith declared. "We still have to reduce our budget by $100,000 next year, and that's significant for us."

To that end, Smith is making presentations at individual municipal council meetings across Cape Breton, with the Town of Port Hawkesbury slated to welcome him and hear his pitch for a more flexible Cape Breton Marketing Levy program in October. 

Also appearing at the Richmond Committee of the Whole meeting, via Zoom, were James Leier and David Paterson of Professional Choice Strategic Developments, the company that has carried out the county's strategic planning exercise over the spring and summer. Paterson and Leier presented a draft strategic plan to councillors, who voted to accept it at the committee level and will bring it to a final vote at the next regular council meeting on Monday, September 26.