FAQs

Local governments provide annual funding to SCT.

The qathet Regional District, Sunshine Coast Regional District, Town of Gibsons, District of Sechelt, City of Powell River, shíshálh Nation, and Tla’amin Nation provide approximately $82,000 combined on an annual basis. Each government body contributes based on a population percentage.

Registering as a stakeholder of Sunshine Coast Tourism is free; however, businesses, non-profits & festivals can partner with SCT on paid co-operative marketing opportunities.

We offer paid partnership opportunities such as advertising in the Travel Guide, brochure racking, traditional and digital paid advertising, and more to over 250+ local businesses annually.

Visitors to the region pay the 2% MRDT on their eligible accommodation room bills.

The Municipal & Regional District Tax levies a 2% tax on guests’ room bills that is disbursed back to Sunshine Coast Tourism to spend on tourism marketing, programs, and projects.

Sunshine Coast Tourism is the current fee-for-service contract holder with both the District of Sechelt and the Town of Gibsons to operate their respective year-round Visitor Information Centres. The contracts provided cover the costs of operating the Centres (including staffing). Additionally, Sunshine Coast Tourism receives grant-in-aid funding from the Sunshine Coast Regional District to support two seasonal visitor services - the Pender Harbour Visitor Information Booth and the Ferry Travel Ambassador Program. Sunshine Coast Tourism supplements these visitor services programs where possible with funding from the Canada Summer Jobs Program, retail merchandise sales (selling souvenirs at the centres), and brochure racking fees. The Powell River Visitor Centre is operated by a different organization, with fee-for-service funding from the City of Powell River and the qathet Regional District.

Sunshine Coast Tourism regularly pursues federal and provincial grant opportunities. Examples of past grants awarded to Sunshine Coast Tourism include the Canada Summer Jobs Program, Island Coastal Economic Trust’s Economic & Infrastructure Innovation Program, Google Ad Grants for Non-Profits, BC Rural Dividend Fund, the Federal Active Transportation Fund, InnovateBC’s Digital Skills For Youth, plus many other funding opportunities that have arisen from Covid-19 government recovery funding.

The Co-op Program supports the provincial tourism strategy to sustainably grow the visitor economy through innovative marketing and to increase tourism revenues which provide social and economic benefits for residents of British Columbia.

The above funds are pooled by SCT to apply for Destination BC’s Co-operative Marketing Partnerships Program, which provides $1 for $1 matched funds for approved marketing programs for Regional DMO’s like Sunshine Coast Tourism. 

Since the program’s inception in 2016, SCT has secured over $100,000 annually in Provincial matched funding investment to help cooperatively market the Sunshine Coast region as a year-round tourism destination.  We are always looking to create new ways in which to collaborate with our partners. Throughout the year, we offer our members many subsidized co-operative ad opportunities alongside SCT branded advertisements, promoting travel to the region.

The Municipal & Regional District Tax is a provincial consumer tax of either 2% or 3% collected on the purchase of accommodations (added to a visitor’s room bill) in specific geographic areas of the province on behalf of municipalities, regional districts or eligible entities.

The MRDT is a provincial tax program that individual regions can choose to “opt-in” to via an application with a majority of eligible accommodations’ approval. Once a region opts-in, all eligible accommodations in that region will levy the tax on their guests’ room bills (often alongside PST and GST). The money collected is then remitted to the Province, which is then dispersed back to the region’s designated recipient to be used for Destination Marketing. This is the primary funding source for most tourism organizations in British Columbia, and is a common program in many places throughout the world. MRDT is currently collected in 71 communities across the Province with 44 of the 71 communities collecting MRDT at 3%.

A designated recipient is responsible to the Province for MRDT. A designated recipient can be a municipality, a regional district, or an eligible entity. An eligible entity is typically a not-for-profit society such as a Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), and on the Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Coast Tourism is the eligible entity for the entire region (includes all of the Sunshine Coast and Qathet Regional Districts and the municipalities within).

MRDT is currently collected in 55 communities across the Province with 44 of the 71 communities collecting MRDT at 3%, and the others at 2%. This is the primary funding source for most tourism boards in British Columbia, and is a common program in many places throughout the world. To see the most up-to-date list of communities in BC that collect MRDT, please see the MRDT map.

Sunshine Coast Tourism is the “designated recipient” for our region (includes all of the Sunshine Coast and qathet (Powell River) Regional Districts and the municipalities within (Town of Gibsons, District of Sechelt, and the City of Powell River). This means that after the collected money is remitted to the Province, the Province disburses the funds back to Sunshine Coast Tourism on a monthly basis to be used according to the MRDT legislation for tourism marketing, programs, and projects.

The Sunshine Coast, which includes all areas of the Sunshine Coast Regional District and qathet (Powell River) Regional District, and the municipalities within, currently collects 2%. A future increase to 3% would require a new application and approval by the majority of traditional accommodations.

The Designated Accommodation Area Tax Regulation sets out the authorized purposes for revenue under the MRDT program.  Authorized purposes of MRDT revenue for all designated recipients are tourism marketing, programs and projects.  Some designated recipients are authorized to use the revenue for other purposes as set out in the regulation. In late 2018, new authorization was added to support affordable housing initiatives for non-traditional accommodation MRDT funds collected from Online Accommodations Platforms (OAP) such as Airbnb and VRBO. As a result, Sunshine Coast Tourism sends a portion of the OAP funds back to local governments for their affordable housing initiatives.

Spending on tourism marketing, programs or projects under the MRDT should contribute to the increase of local tourism revenue, visitation, and economic benefits. Spending related to affordable housing initiatives should assist communities in addressing local needs related to affordable housing.

This program has a duration of 5 years and a renewal application must be filed to the Ministry of Finance a minimum of 6 months before the current end date of the program. Sunshine Coast Tourism’s end date is currently August 1, 2026.