Visitors Centre moving to Civic Centre

Tourism PG will be setting up shop in the Civic Centre.

The Visitor Centre will be moving there after a unanimous decision by Tourism PG’s Board of Directors.

“We are thrilled to have finally found a long-term spot that meets the needs of visitors who are stimulating our local economy,” said Tourism PG Board Chair Paul Robison.

“In addition, being located downtown is an ideal spot for Tourism Prince George to be a key community partner and help the downtown, the core of our community, thrive.”

The conclusion to move the Visitor Centre to the Civic Centre was based on it achieving the highest overall score measured by the independent consulting firm Nycholat Consulting.

“It’s been a long process, it’s something that’s been in conversation amongst our Board of Directors, and amongst the general community for a number of years,” said Tourism PG CEO Colin Carson.

“We launched a task force made up of board members, community members, and Tourism Prince George staff in June of 2022 to really evaluate if it was feasible to move and then try to identify some locations.”

Carson said the Civic Centre puts them in the range of foot-traffic downtown, and close to a lot of attractions.

“The first thing we’re seeing is a big trend right now with visitors centres across the world really, is people don’t go out of their way to seek them out anymore, people will still go to them if they’re convenient to get to,” he explained.

“What we see that’s really exciting about the Civic Centre Rotunda, is about 500,000 visit that area every year, whether they’re going to the Prince George Public Library, whether they’re going to the Prince George Conference and Civic Centre, or whether attending events in Canada Games Plaza.”

Another location that was flagged as a potential new location for the Visitors Centre was Pine Centre Mall.

Carson said using the Civic Centre gave them more flexibility.

“At the mall we would have to follow the mall hours, which don’t necessarily align with the busy hours of tourism season,” he explained.

“We also see a huge opportunity in being able to activate the Canada Games Plaza ourselves.”

Pine Centre Mall and the Civic Centre were flagged as possible new locations.

City council approved for Tourism PG to lease the city-owned space starting in 2024, with an official opening anticipated for Spring/Summer 2024.

📣 Exciting News: We’re thrilled to announce our new home will be at the PGCCC Rotunda!

✅ Convenient Central Location
✅ Enhanced Visitor Experience
✅ Downtown Commitment
✅ Parking and Accessibility
✅ Budget Friendly

For more information: https://t.co/p9j2R3gBDT#TakeOnPG pic.twitter.com/6xitI0mpPr

— Tourism PG (@tourismpg) October 18, 2023