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Support unfounded to close tourism desk

A suggestion that Clearwater and District Chamber of Commerce should drop its information desk at Wells Gray Infocenter didn’t get much support during a chamber meeting last Tuesday evening.

A suggestion that Clearwater and District Chamber of Commerce should drop its information desk at Wells Gray Infocenter didn’t get much support during a chamber meeting last Tuesday evening.

Some of the strongest opposition to the suggestion came from a person with possibly the most to gain if it went through - Tay Briggs of Information Wells Gray, the non-profit society that runs the Infocenter.

“The chamber receives about $20,000 a year from Tourism B.C. to run the information desk,” said Briggs, “plus another $5,400 from HRDC to hire a summer student.

“I suppose, if the chamber pulled out, Information Wells Gray would take the money and do the job, but I really don’t think that would be in our or the chamber’s long-term best interests,” she said.

Briggs questioned a statement that operating the information desk costs the chamber most of the revenue it brings in from its membership fees. The desk shouldn’t be costing more than a few thousand dollars above the government grants, she felt.

About 63 businesses rack their brochures at the information desk, she pointed out. Many of them join the chamber in order to do so. If the chamber pulled out of the Infocenter, that revenue would be lost.

The information desk is about more than tourism, Briggs said. If people come to Clearwater looking for a place to move to or to set up a business, the Infocenter is the first place they stop.

“It’s really nice to have a chamber rep to give out that information,” said Briggs. “I think the chamber needs to maintain a presence there. Information Wells Gray won’t necessarily always be there. That means that if the chamber pulls out and then wants back in, it might not be able to.”

Wells Gray Infocenter belongs to BC Parks. Information Wells Gray is a consortium of small businesses that has tenure to occupy the building from Parks. The non-profit society in tern rents the space for the information desk to the chamber.

One of Information Wells Gray’s main tasks is to act as a booking agent for local motels, hotels, bed-and-breakfasts and tour businesses. Last year the consortium did about $300,000 in direct bookings, Briggs reported. That number did not include the spending by visitors who were directed to restaurants, grocery stores, real estate agents and so on.

One of the other chamber members asked why the Infocenter couldn’t be kept open year round.

The building typically closes the end of October or first week of November, she replied.

What they find is that few people stop after the first of October and those that do just want to use the bathroom. If the Infocenter is shut down for winter, the travelers have to visit a local restaurant or other business, where at least they might buy a cup of coffee.

During winter maps and other information are left at the Strawberry Moose across the street from the Infocenter.

Keeping the tourist information building open all winter would cost an additional $50,000, Briggs estimated.