Jasper restaurants and tourism operators are being asked to charge customers an extra two per cent on their bills in order to help pay for Tourism Jasper marketing initiatives.

Maggie Davison, CEO of Tourism Jasper unveiled the plan Tuesday evening, which will target businesses such as restaurants, tourist attractions such as the Jasper Tramway, Marmot Basin, rafting companies and other businesses. The goal of the plan is to build a large war chest to help pay for larger marketing plans aimed at bringing the world to Jasper.

“We recognized there was a need to market Jasper,” Davison said. “We’re here to market the destination. It benefits everyone. We have to prove ourselves.”

Tourism Jasper is expecting to spend $1.6 million in 2010 on marketing and program development. The organization is the new destination marketing organization for the town, taking over duties from the Jasper chamber of commerce. The chamber will now focus on business advocacy. Currently, its funds are controlled by Jasper Destination Marketing Fund (DMF), which collects two per cent from all hotel room stays in Jasper.

The goal of the levy is to help Jasper become a world-renowned tourism destination. Davison said now is the time for businesses to come together to promote the community.

“It’s all about the power of the collective whole. Every business spends money on marketing. As the DMO, we can better manage those funds,” Davison said.

Davison has crunched the numbers and feels two per cent is manageable for businesses. On an average $32 restaurant bill, the charge to the customer is 64 cents.

The change is taking place after a push in 2006 to impose a fee on business licenses to help market the town proved to be inconclusive.

“The solution isn’t a perfect one. In a perfect world the funds would be built through a levy managed by the municipality,” Davison said.

The surcharge won’t work with every business, as Davison said they don’t want everyone contributing to the fund. That’s why attractions and restaurants are being approached instead of all business owners.

“Personally, I don’t want to pay another two per cent on my groceries,” Davison said.

The change also represents a new path for Jasper Tourism and Commerce, which will now fulfill more of a business advocacy role. Chamber president Todd Noble said the organization didn’t have enough funds to market the town and function as an effective chamber.

“Advocacy and business support has suffered. There’s no lack of issues to attack,” Noble said.

This year, Tourism Jasper marketing plans have been rolled out regionally, with assistance of the Canadian Tourism Commission and Travel Alberta, which are able to leverage funds. However international visits are needed to allow the market to grow, Davison said. By reaching the international market, Davison hopes to attract visitors for the shoulder seasons, as well as mid-week.

“Our competition is the world. For me, it’s not Banff-Lake Louise. It’s not Edmonton. It’s Paris,” Davison said.

Hotels already place a two per cent charge on room stays, which has allowed the Jasper Destination Marketing Commission (JDMC) to build a $1.6 million fund to draw upon. However Davison said Tourism Jasper needs about $3 million to be able to reach out to international markets and stay competitive.

“That’s an average for a DMO,” Davison said.

The goal is also to increase visitation to Jasper by two per cent to line up with Parks Canada’s projections in the draft sustainability plan.

“In a limping economy, if we do that, we can consider it a successful year for 2010,” Davison said.

However, the first year is purely set up, including new events and a new web site. New events include a possible food and wine festival.

“I want to stop the deterioration and raise visitation,” Davison said. “We’re losing market share. Tourism is a tough business. In the 1950s, Jasper was a world renowned destination. Now, new hotspots have emerged. We need to get Canada on the map and as a destination, get our fair market share. This will see use competing on a global platform.”

Fee collection is expected to roll out on May 1. Mayor Richard Ireland said he’s comfortable with the two per cent charge, as he prefers it to a municipally-run levy. However, he’s taking a wait and see approach before commenting on how Tourism Jasper will affect the town.

In order to help with the campaign, Tourism Jasper has consulted a creative agency out of Calgary. The company, named Taxi, has worked on campaigns for Westjet, BMW Mini, and the New York Museum of Modern Art.