Chamber Wants City To Help Generate More ‘Educated’ Class of Tourists

Malibu’s Chamber of Commerce is pushing hard for a city boost for tourism.

A program aimed at taxing local businesses … to use the money to promote businesses to local tourists.

It’s called a management district plan.

Ian Roven … a Chamber of Commerce board member … appeared at the city council last night.

He dsays the idea is to promote local businesses to the millions of tourists already entering Malibu.

NEWSCART 75317 TOURISTS IAN ROVEN

“A lot of our visitors are uneducated … and they don’t know … they don’t stay long.

“They come … they dump their trash … they abuse the city … and then they leave.

“They don’t spend much money unless they are going to a supermarket.

“And I would prefer that the visitors come educated … that they come … they stay at our establishments … that they shop at our local restaurants … that they enjoy what we have enjoyed for so many years.”

Roven said 50 percent of Malibu businesses are hurt by the fire … and will need 2 years to recover from the fire.

And 15-20 percent are not going to be able to survive.

Some people in Malibu may question whether a city that hosts 15 million tourists every year can afford one more tourist car on Pacific Coast Highway.

Malibu mayor Karen Farrer … reacting along those lines.

NEWSCART 75319 TOURISTS FARRER

“Tourism improvement district ??? Yeah.

“Hopefully we can improve tourism in the ‘off’ season.

“I think we all seem to feel we have enough during the ‘on’ season.

“Or at least … a lot of people.

“Hopefully they are spending some money.”

But the proposed tourist development plan is not on the list of projects that the city council has prioritized.

Two months ago … they said city staff’s plate was full … and that they would not be adding to the tourism district to the long list of projects in the works.

The proposed tourist district was added … anyway.