I find stopping the Guelph Tourism service as provided by the City of Guelph very curious (Tribune, Feb. 7).
Why stop a service when you don’t have a back-up plan? Even scaled back, the plan is lacking. The thing is that there are many rumours circulating about this decision. One of them is that the city is looking to outsource this service. If that is the plan, maybe some examples of other municipalities that have outsourced this service can be provided.
As someone who has recently committed to a retail space just outside of the downtown boundary, advertising with tourism is one of the strategies I am considering to brand my space as a destination location. How does this happen when the city is phasing Tourism out and no one has yet picked it up?
As mentioned in the editorial, having the office in city hall is, well, not the best decision, especially as tourists come in mainly on weekends. That would be a change I would welcome.
Which leads me to the editorial comment “Guelph is a great place to live, but it’s hardly a big tourist destination.” Really? I am not going to sit here and repeat the long list of festivals, etc., that attract tens of thousands of tourists to this city. All you have to do is a search on Guelph festivals, arts and culture, or even just call the Guelph Arts Council for stats. Did the editorial writer do any research?
The decision by “city council to leave the position of Senior Business Development Specialist vacant and instructing city staff not to pursue any new marketing initiatives until the transition plan is finished” is basically the kiss-off for small business, festivals, downtown merchants, bed and breakfasts, hotels, restaurants, galleries, museums . . . and more.
When and how long will this transition take?
If you are a small business, festival, restaurant, hotel owner or gallery owner, call city hall and tell them to figure out this tourism issue, or, better yet, get on the list to participate in the consultation sessions that staff is recommending.
That’s my snow day rant!
Maria Pezzano
Guelph