The regional tourism body says the newly approved accommodation tax in Windsor will create new opportunities to attract people to the region.
As heard on AM800 News, city council has approved a 4% municipal accommodation tax that's expected to bring in about $2.8-million a year in additional revenue.
Half of the new dollars will be redirected to Tourism Windsor-Essex Pelee Island, representing a roughly $500,000 increase to the agency's funding from the city. The other half will be in the control of city council with a stated goal of promoting tourism.
TWEPI CEO Gordon Orr says the new money could make a new hire possible, but doesn't expect that to come right away.
"That's not where we're going to go first. We're going to try of course do it with the current infrastructure and the current staffing levels but, yes, we're not ruling out that possibility," says Orr. "Obviously, if there's a lot more work and there's a lot more marketing that takes place, a lot more programming that's involved with that, then we will need a lot more resources."
Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island CEO Gordon Orr presents a marketing and development plan to Essex Town Council Monday June 19. (Photo by AM800's Gord Bacon)
Orr says the money will immediately help with some short-term marketing initiatives beginning in 2019.
"Definitely what we'll be looking at doing is augmenting our current marketing to expand that footprint that we have to try and drive more visitation and in particular overnight visitation," says Orr.
He adds the money will help overcome some previous limitations of the agency.
Orr says the new funding will help TWEPI bid on big events it would have been priced out of otherwise.
"What we were finding is those price tags brought with them a need for us to request additional funding from city or county council and the on that speaks volumes a few years ago, AMO [Association of Municipalities of Ontario] went out with a bid process and Ottawa secured it for four years," says Orr.
The 4% tax is set to come into effect in October.