TOURISM FAQ.

The Municipal and Regional District Tax (MRDT) was introduced in 1987, by the Provincial Government. Municipalities are not required to implement the MRDT, rather they must choose to opt-in, and this can only be done if the majority of accommodators (51% of the accommodations, representing 51% of the rooms) vote to implement it.

MRDT spending is regulated by the BC Ministry of Finance, and is intended to:

• Provide funding for local tourism marketing, programs, and projects

• Grow tourism revenue, visitation, and jobs

• Amplify marketing efforts in a competitive marketplace

• Support affordable housing initiatives

This tax is a way for visitors to contribute to the marketing and management of the destinations they visit, alleviating local taxpayers of this burden. It’s designed to be invested back into the tourism economy to ensure tourism thrives, and the community can continue reaping the economic benefits associated with tourism.

REVELSTOKE MRDT DATA

1. Every 5 years, accommodators vote to collect MRDT and the City of Revelstoke passes a bylaw to participate in the program.

2. Accommodators collect MRDT from visitors at the time of booking and remit the total to the province every month.

3. The province sends MRDT back to the City (less administrative fees and for those collecting at the 3% rate - less a mandatory 0.2% Tourism Event Program fee)

4. The City distributes MRDT in alignment with the 5-year strategy that has been approved by the province.

In 2023, accommodators in Revelstoke voted to increase MRDT from 2% to 3% with the caveat that all of the additional general MRDT funds would go towards Destination Management. The MRDT collection area was expanded to include CSRD area B accommodators.

In fall of 2018, the MRDT program was expanded to include affordable housing initiatives, as the housing crisis has become a significant challenge for tourism communities throughout BC. This broke the MRDT into two streams; GENERAL MRDT and OAP MRDT (online accommodation platforms).

The OAP is the MRDT tax collected by online accommodation platforms like Airbnb on behalf of municipalities, regional districts, and other eligible entities. 

Revelstoke has chosen to use the funds from OAP to create an affordable housing fund.

A Destination Management Plan (DMP) is a shared statement of intent to manage a destination over a stated period of time. It is a plan to manage the visitor economy in a destination. Revelstoke is becoming a popular tourist destination, and it’s essential that we plan and manage for growth in a way that benefits our community.

Tourism Revelstoke operates on a partnership model which means tourism-related business qualify for support!

Tourism Partners are defined as:

• Traditional Accommodators defined as any establishment offering overnight accommodation that carries on business in the City of Revelstoke, who pays commercial city taxes, who collects and remits the appropriate MRDT, and who offers four or more units.

• Non-Traditional Accommodators who are located in the CSRD Area B, Campgrounds, Short Term Rentals, Property Management Companies with multiple STRs, Bed & Breakfasts with 3 or less units

• Experience Providers defined as any person, business, private organization, or public organization that provides as its core offering a tourism service or experience such as, but not limited to:

  A tourism operation, a recreational activity, an arts & culture experience, a food & beverage establishment, a transportation service, a retail service, a non-profit organization, an event, Parks Canada, First Nations