Kimberley Chamber out and Tourism Kimberley in

— Photo courtesy the Kimberley and District Chamber of Commerce

In mid-December, Kimberley City Council endorsed a contract with Tourism Kimberley to manage the Kimberley Visitor Centre, on the corner of Ross Street and Kimberley Avenue, in the heart of the downtown area.

The visitor centre exists to provide visitors information on activities and attractions in Kimberley. Early in 2013, management of the visitor centre will transition from the Kimberley and District Chamber of Commerce to Tourism Kimberley.

According to Tourism Kimberley president Craig Campbell, "The visitor centre is a perfect platform to sell the community to visitors. We are excited about the opportunity to learn more about visitors coming here and enhance the tourism products in Kimberley accordingly."

Tourism Kimberley is the non-profit destination marketing organization for Kimberley. The voice of the tourism sector, it has been promoting Kimberley since 2007 providing leadership in tourism marketing through a partnership funding model.

The Kimberley and District Chamber of Commerce has managed the visitor centre since its days in the old railway station. The voice of business and a key player in fostering a healthy economic environment, the chamber will continue to focus on serving the needs of local businesses. Member services will be enhanced with the goal of promoting and improving business retention and development. The chamber will move to a new location that will be announced early 2013.

"We recognize the need to provide value to our membership, in terms of support services that makes it easier to run a successful business. The chamber is excited about the opportunity to focus on business development, investment attraction, and advocacy," said chamber president Darren Close.

The City of Kimberley and the Province, through Tourism BC, provide funding to operate the Kimberley Visitor Centre.