The City of Nanaimo is backing a new non-profit agency to attract visitors, conventions and sports tourism.
Tourism Nanaimo will get $711,000 from the city this year, funding that will be ongoing and supplemented with grants from other government agencies, the city said Tuesday.
Nanaimo has been without a tourism promoter for 18 months. When the Nanaimo Economic Development Corporation dissolved in 2017, Tourism Vancouver Island took over promotional work for Nanaimo, but that deal ended in December 2020.
Nanaimo council reviewed options for creating a new approach to tourism and invited community partners to participate, resulting in the Tourism Nanaimo Society.
The society, working closely with the Nanaimo Hospitality Association, is being led by a 15-member board of directors representing government and public-sector stakeholders and industry representatives.
Tourism Nanaimo’s inaugural meeting is set for mid-May.
“This new agency is built through collaboration among community partners to show that Nanaimo is a premier tourist destination with numerous and unique attractions,” said Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog.
“Tourism Nanaimo has the right leadership, funding and mandate to really put us on the map in a way that celebrates our unique story and the wonderful, natural and social amenities we have to offer.”
