As British Columbia experiences some of its strongest tourism growth in years, Rossland is receiving $44,997 from the Province’s Resort Municipality Initiative (RMI) to support its tourism industry.

Through the Province’s RMI, Rossland has received a total of $368,113 since 2007 in funding toward projects including (but not limited to): a shuttle service, signage, visitor centre improvements and an outdoor bandstand.

The RMI provides $10.5 million each year to help eligible resort-oriented municipalities to develop and enhance their tourism infrastructure and amenities. RMI communities include Whistler, Fernie, Kimberley, Golden, Harrison Hot Springs, Invermere, Osoyoos, Radium Hot Springs, Revelstoke, Rossland, Sun Peaks, Tofino, Ucluelet and Valemount.

Since the RMI’s inception in 2006, more than $108.6 million has been invested in tourism infrastructure and programs to support local and regional tourism economies in the 14 participating communities.

Quotes:

Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour –

“B.C.’s tourism industry is experiencing incredible growth. It’s helping to create jobs and is one of the reasons why our province has the leading economy in Canada. Resort Municipality Initiative funding ensures qualifying resort communities have the resources they need to provide a world-class traveller experience. It’s an important step toward making sure visitors return to our province for years to come, supporting businesses and keeping our economy diverse, strong and growing.”

Kathy Moore, mayor of Rossland –

“The City of Rossland is thrilled to once again be a recipient of Resort Municipality Initiative funding. This funding has been key to our success as a resort community. It is a challenge for a small community like ours to support tourism infrastructure with our limited tax base so RMI funding is essential to help us grow this important sector of our economy. Rossland uses this funding for the Spokane shuttle and our local Free Ride bus. This year, RMI funding will also contribute $56,000 towards the museum/visitor centre renovation. Our tourism economy is growing as a result of this important funding.”

Quick Facts:

• In 2015, 4.9 million international visitors came to B.C. – about an 8% increase compared to 2014.
• The number of total overnight international visitors to B.C. in 2016 so far (January to July) surpassed the three million mark (3,200,503) for an increase of 12.5% over the same period last year.
• Tourism provides a job for roughly one out of every 15 people employed in B.C.
• RMI supports the province’s tourism strategy, Gaining the Edge, and the BC Jobs Plan.

Learn More:

To learn more about the RMI, please visit: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/topic.page?id=30A40BDA6D8346798E15C6050063F719

BC Jobs Plan: http://www.bcjobsplan.ca/