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Letters  

Chasing after same dollars

Trudeau’s preoccupation with promoting tourism – within Canada – instead of promoting international tourism is a bit misplaced. 

Tourism is all about businesses competing for our discretionary spending money. Nothing more – nothing less.

That is why they spend millions of dollars advertising, to entice us to come to their place of business.

The important thing to keep in mind is that regardless of where we do spend that money does not make one iota of difference to our nation’s economy, commonly referred to as our gross domestic product.

Whether we spend our discretionary money right here in B.C. or we travel to another province to spend it, while people from other provinces come to B.C. to spend their money, does not change our nation’s GDP.

That is also why our governments have no business using our tax dollars promoting tourism, because the only thing they can change is where we may end up spending our money.

Promoting tourism does not result in additional spending, as it does not magically put extra money in our pockets, and buying bananas in a Calgary Safeway, or in a Prince George Co-op has zero impact on total dollars spent, which in reality is none of any government’s business, any more than it’s their business if or where we go to church.

Another reason why he should not waste millions of tax dollars chasing tourists all over the country is that businesses are engaged in an ongoing campaign to ‘Support Local Business.’

What Trudeau should be concerned about, is the carbon footprint tourism is creating, as bargain-hunting travellers are burning massive quantities of hydrocarbons crossing provincial borders, chasing sunshine and bargains.

Don’t be surprised if Trudeau’s next ban will be on non-essential travel, when he realizes his obsession with climate change, and commitment to the Paris Accord is being severely compromised.

Andy Thomsen, Kelowna



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