Manitowoc Mayor Justin Nickels
Anyone who lives in or visits Manitowoc or Two Rivers knows that the two cities are linked intrinsically through tourism. Part of the reason for that is an agreement that both cities have with each other and the Manitowoc Area Visitor and Convention Bureau.
Manitowoc Mayor Justin Nickels was recently on WOMT’s Be My Guest program, where he spoke about the relationship between the entities and how it works.
“The MAVCB a separate entity. They have their own board,” he explained. “So the cities of Manitowoc and Two Rivers Room Tax Commissions actually have a legal agreement with the MAVCB to provide services. The revenues that they get are generated through Room Tax dollars. When people stay at a hotel, they pay a Room Tax, and that comes to the City of Manitowoc, and we split it almost 50/50 with the MAVCB.”
The current agreement is set to expire at the end of the year, and the Manitowoc City Council recently decided to pen a letter terminating the deal because, as Mayor Nickels said, “We do not agree with the current terms. That does not mean we are getting rid of the MAVCB or our partnership with Two Rivers, it just means we are at somewhat of an impasse on how to provide tourism services through the MAVCB with the Cities of Manitowoc and Two Rivers.”
While that word “termination” brings with it some worries, Mayor Nickels said there is no need to fret just yet.
“I am confident that we will come to some agreement at the end of the day,” he ensured Seehafer News. “Tourism is the second largest industry in Manitowoc, so we obviously want to make that a huge priority. We don’t want to see it fall by the wayside.”
He also voiced his concerns about how the entities will attract tourists to the area, and how they can capitalize on the downtown, and the Badger Car ferry.
He said that the current agreement is nearly 30 years old and is a bit out of date with all the changes that have been made in the two cities.
