Despite a decline in visitors during the 2011 season, tourism revenue in Merritt was up according the Merritt BC Visitor Centre’s summer tourism report.
Visitors to Merritt between Apr.1 and Sept. 30 were down 11 per cent compared to the same time in 2010.
Poor weather for the first half of summer, and a strong Canadian dollar, which caused a flood of Canadians to spend money in the U.S. were some of the contributing reasons for the decline in visitors to Merritt, said Cora-Lee Sarasin, manager of the Merritt BC Visitor Centre (BCVC).
Despite a significant drop in visitation to Merritt, tourism revenue increased 12 per cent in June, 1 percent in July, and 12 per cent in August, compared to the same time frame in 2010.
Accommodations and activity bookings also increased by 23 per cent.
“Our main objective is to increase the length of stay and generate return visitors, and the results of this season show that we have been successful in doing this,” said Sarasin.
The BCVC offers more then just tourism information. It offers several booking services from accommodations, to a wide variety of tours, to B.C. Ferry bookings.
Bookings made through the BCVC for accommodations in Merritt increased 56 per cent compared to 2010.
“The fact that Merritt reservations are up shows that the staff at Merritt BCVC have really been encouraging people to stay here before moving onto their next destination,” said Amanda Wilkinson operations manager.
Wilkinson attributes the overwhelming success of the Merritt BCVC to the new signage and a B.C. map and photo located inside the building.
“We’d love for some locals to come up and check out the improvement and get some information on their next B.C. getaway,” said Sarasin.
The Merritt BCVC is located on the corner of HWY 5 and 97C and is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
