‘Quality accommodation’ wanted
Colin Dacre - Jun 19, 2019 - Biz Releases

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Penticton is in need of more “quality accommodation” to deal with an increasingly fickle tourist, according to Travel Penticton.

Before council Tuesday for a quarterly update, Travel Penticton executive director Thom Tischik made the comments.

“Every community that wants to survive in tourism need quality accommodation,” he said. “The public is far more discerning and far more dangerous than ever before because they can report immediately their likes and dislikes.”

Tischik noted travellers are much more likely to share negative experiences online.

While work is underway on a new 95-room Marriott Hotel at the old bingo hall site, Tischik said the city’s overall room-count is actually just recovering after losing rooms in recent years.

Data collected through the provincial government’s MRDT shows 39 active properties collecting the hotel tax in 2018, up from a number that’s hovered between 34 and 37 in years dating back to 2010.

Tischik pointed to Vernon as a community that has much more new accommodation “in an area of town that isn’t all that attractive,” compared to Penticton’s unique between-two-lakes setting.

“We need to foster that kind of activity if possible,” he added.


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