MONTRÉAL, May 6, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - At their meeting on May 1, the members of the Tourisme Montréal Board of Directors once again voiced their grave concerns about the changes Québec's Ministry of Tourism plans to make to the tax on lodging as part of its review of the tourism industry's business and governance model.
Tourisme Montréal also reiterated its desire to cooperate with the Ministry of Tourism to make the Quebec tourism industry's current model more efficient, but insisted that it is fundamental that the tax on lodging continue to be managed in Montréal.
Since 1997 the tourist tax on lodging has been crucial to promoting the growth of tourism in Montréal. Destabilizing this model would be a monumental error for Québec as a whole.
Discussions stir concern in Montréal's tourism industry
A few months ago, Québec's Ministry of Tourism undertook a period of reflection to review the business and governance model under which Québec's tourism industry operates. The Tourisme Montréal Board of Directors believes it is essential to examine the business model and challenge the status quo with a view to improving the performance of the tourism industry in Québec.
However, Tourisme Montréal is concerned that the Ministry of Tourism is seriously considering centralizing the tax on lodging. This tax is a central driver of Tourisme Montréal's business model and a source of income that has belonged exclusively to the regions since it was introduced.
In 2014, for instance, the 3.5% specific tax on commercial lodgings in Montréal generated $23 million in revenues for Tourisme Montréal. That sum was used to fund major advertising campaigns, attract prestigious conventions to the city, fund the F1 Grand Prix to the tune of $5 million, and provide financial assistance to a host of events.
"We believe that Montréal's tourism industry leaders are in the best position to spearhead the city's tourism marketing strategies. To ensure optimum efficiency, the money collected in Montréal must be managed by those who understand the destination best and who are well-equipped to form fruitful partnerships, namely members of Montréal's tourism industry," noted Raymond Bachand, chair of the Tourisme Montréal Board of Directors.
Tourisme Montréal recommends that the current protocols between Tourisme Montréal, the tourist regions, and Ministère du tourisme be revisited to incorporate additional parameters that would address the concerns expressed by the Ministry of Tourism. It sees no reason to alter the existing legislative mechanisms surrounding the specific tax on commercial lodgings.
About Tourisme Montréal
Tourisme Montréal's mission is to assume leadership of the collective effort to promote and position Montréal as a premier destination for business and leisure travel as well as to influence the development of Montréal as a tourism product, to reflect the industry's constantly evolving markets. For more information go to www.tourisme-montreal.org.
SOURCE Tourisme Montréal
Pierre Bellerose, Vice President, Public Relations, Research and Product Development, Tourisme Montréal, 514-844-2404, [email protected]
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