Penticton Hospitality Association

Are changes coming for Penticton’s two tourism associations in 2016?

PENTICTON - The city is looking everywhere it can to find ways to cut costs and operate city interests more efficiently and that includes both city entities entrusted with promoting the region's tourism industry. Penticton Mayor Andrew Jakubeit says the overlap in function between the Penticton Hospitality Association and Tourism Penticton could be leveraged to the...

Penticton tourism groups ready to put past behind them

PENTICTON - The City of Penticton is anxious to pursue its tourist initiatives, and hopes a renewed association and common goals between three organizations involved in tourist marketing in the city will help rebuild Penticton as a tourist destination. Less than a year ago, three separate entities were fighting with each other for tourism dollars...

New president for Penticton Hospitality Association

PENTICTON - As the new President of the Penticton Hospitality Association Barb Haynes is excited to help move the organization forward. The hospitality association reflected on last year’s successes, including the court case with the City of Penticton over allegations of financial mismanagement, which the association won, and planned for a busy 2015 at its annual general...

Penticton Hospitality Association optimistic about 2015

PENTICTON - It’s a new year for the Penticton Hospitality Association as the conflicts of last year between city and the PHA fade into history. “We’re delighted last year is behind us, for a number of reasons. We’re looking forward to a fresh start,” operations director for PHA Tim Hodgkinson said. Hodgkinson did not elaborate...

City, PHA break off talks about tourism dollars

PENTICTON - Negotiations between the city and Penticton Hospitality Association might be bound for the courtroom after all. Mayor Garry Litke said the two sides were to meet Monday to discuss the hotel room tax which generates roughly $400,000 per year in marketing money. According to the mayor the association canceled that meeting. “We reached...

Troubled tourism group down two board members

STILL NOT ANSWERING QUESTIONS PENTICTON - While the Penticton Hospitality Association fights city council over marketing money, it lost two board members in recent months. Association treasurer Marko Crucnik left the board last fall and resigned as manager at Penticton Lakeside Resort Convention Centre, according to a resort official. Graeme Jenkins, another board member, resigned...

No tax money for legal fees: Hospitality association president

PENTICTON - The Penticton Hospitality Association hasn't spent any taxpayer money on legal fees in its battle with the city over marketing funding but board members feel so strongly, they are prepared to spend its own money on the fight if it comes to that, according to board leadership. The city stripped the association control...

Former tourism chair quit with no regrets

PENTICTON - Former Tourism Penticton board chair Miranda Halladay said she's not the type to quit but she did because of disagreements with the Penticton Hospitality Association. Halladay, who stepped down on Wednesday, has been on the Tourism Penticton board since 2012 and later became its inaugural chairperson in 2013. She said she wanted to use...

Tourism Penticton board chair resigns

PENTICTON - Tourism Penticton just started a hunt for a new board chair following Miranda Halladay's resignation at the group's regular board meeting Wednesday. Halladay said she resigned due to the Penticton Hospitality Association choosing "a program of stall and delay" when discussing the formation of one tourism group marketing the city and the demands...

Power struggle puts tourism funds in jeopardy

'IMMEASURABLE AND IRREPARABLE HARM' PENTICTON — An estimated $350,000 to $700,000 is sitting in bank accounts doing nothing for tourism while the City of Penticton and Penticton Hospitality Association continue a power struggle that began before they even signed an agreement on tourism tax funds in 2012. And it appears from documents filed in Kelowna...