A new tourism incentive program to bolster the city’s hotel industry is getting full support of Common Council’s Growth Committee.

The program is a partnership with the Saint John Hotel Association and Envision Saint John with each partner contributing $20,000.

The Hotel Association promotion will offer Uptown Dollars as an incentive to tourists booking two night stays. The Uptown Dollars will encourage visitors to spend money in uptown shops – restaurants – and galleries. The Hotel Association will handle administration and purchasing of the Uptown Dollars gift cards while Envision Saint John will handle the marketing of the program.

The Growth Committee has approved the staff recommendation to move forward with the program and is recommending Common Council give its approval at the next meeting.