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Voice of the BC Tourism Industry
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CEO's Message
Notwithstanding the need to ensure TIABC's operations are running efficiently, the purpose of our monthly board meeting is for staff and the board to report out on, and be held accountable for the actions we've committed to on behalf of our members. Similarly, our newsletter is meant to do the same, especially for those members who aren't yet in the habit of looking for updates on various activities on our website.
To that end, allow me to provide you with a brief overview on a few files, as long as you promise to review more detailed information in the members-only section of
www.tiabc.ca. In no particular order:
Board members Paul Nursey, David McKenzie and I all had some recent one-on-one time with federal Tourism and Small Business Minister, Hon. Bardish Chagger during a private dinner in Vancouver hosted by Destination Canada CEO David Goldstein. Each of us was able to discuss various topics including government investment in infrastructure (e.g. Belleville Terminal), the impacts of the sharing economy, labour challenges throughout the province, among others. The Minister made it very clear that government is committed to working with us to address industry concerns.
Similarly, I joined BCHA Chair David McKenzie and CEO James Chase in Victoria where we met with Ministry of Finance officials to discuss the ramifications of private room accommodation (a province-wide hot topic) on communities throughout BC.
Earlier this week, TIABC sent a letter supporting Tourism Golden in their dispute with CP Rail who has essentially cut-off access to the lower canyon of the Kicking Horse River, effectively shutting down operators of river rafting companies that host more than 40,000 adventure seekers annually.
Click
here
to read the Kootenay Rockies Tourism letter and click
here
to read the Tourism Golden media release regarding the CP Rail issue.
We also sent a letter to Minister Peter Fassbender (who is responsible for the review process on impending Uber operations in British Columbia) reiterating our position vis-à-vis a level playing field with BC taxi operators. At the same, TIABC's Policy Committee met with Uber to learn more about their position and approach to setting up shop in the province.
Aside from advocacy files, we've been working hard to make our AGM and Summit at Sun Peaks an event that members won't want to miss. Along with invites to Minister Chagger and BC's Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training, Hon. Shirley Bond, we've secured three concurrent workshops to appeal to different segments of our membership. DMOs and communities will find value from the session on film tourism where panellists will present and discuss this innovative marketing tool, its benefits to a community and how to attract and leverage productions.
Sectors will learn how to align their needs and issues with government, as well as identify government priorities in the lead-up to the BC election in May 2017.
Operators will find great benefit from experts on business succession planning. As many tourism industry veterans look to scale back, sell or retire from their businesses, there are several important considerations and steps to take to ensure a smooth transition into the next chapter of life.
Our staff and board are excited about the work we're doing and look forward to welcoming you to the TIABC AGM and Summit for a progress report, stimulating sessions and plenty of fun. Be sure to register soon.
In the meantime, as always we welcome your emails, texts, letters, phone calls, likes, meetings and any other way you choose to communicate with us.
Walt Judas
CEO
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Last Chance to Submit TIABC Board Nominations
The Tourism Industry Association of BC is inviting members to nominate candidates for Board of Director positions for the term beginning in May 2016. It is important to note that only active members can nominate and/or vote.
All nominations from members must be received 45 days prior to the Annual General Meeting. Therefore, any nominations for director positions must be received on or by
April 8, 2016.
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Register Now for TIABC's AGM & Summit
Early-bird registration is now open for TIABC's AGM & Summit, May 24-26 at Sun Peaks. An overview of the schedule is listed below. More details are available on
www.tiabc.ca/tiabc-agm-summit.
May 24 -
Evening Reception
hosted by Tourism Sun Peaks
May 25 -
TIABC AGM and Town Hall
(co-hosted with TIAC);
presentations
by federal and provincial tourism ministers (to be confirmed),
sector roundtables, dinner
hosted by Sun Peaks Grand Hotel
May 26 - Breakfast, concurrent sessions, closing lunch, post-event activities (optional)
For sponsorship opportunities and complete event details, click here.
In partnership with:
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TIABC Partners With TIAC On New Program For Small Businesses
While British Columbia is home to some for the world's best destinations and attractions, natural beauty, amazing experiences and warm hospitality is not always enough to succeed; businesses need information, skilled employees and supportive government policies in order to grow.
Industry associations are an important resource for small businesses providing key industry information, problem-solving resources, money-saving benefits and influential advocacy to ensure that government policies and regulations support, and not hinder, business performance.
Many small and medium-sized tourism businesses don't belong to associations because they don't know which group to join or don't see the value in membership. The Tourism Industry of British Columbia (TIABC) is partnering with the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) to offer a two-year pilot program designed for brand new, never before members of both organizations. This targeted initiative for small businesses will provide a special affiliated TIAC membership when a
new TIABC small business membership is purchased.
Through this first-time offering small businesses will be engaged at both the provincial and national level, accessing industry experts who are navigating the red tape and government challenges in both Victoria and Ottawa. Through joint membership with TIABC and TIAC, small businesses can connect to Canada's tourism leaders and add their voice to the thousands of other businesses across the country advocating for the success of the BC and Canadian visitor economy.
For more information on the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) affiliated membership, please visit
tiac.travel/join.html
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United States and Canada Announce Pre-clearance Expansion
Canada and the United States signed the Agreement on Land, Rail, Marine, and Air Transport Pre-clearance on March 16, 2015.
By way of background, pre-clearance is the process by which customs officers stationed abroad inspect and make admissibility decisions about travelers and their accompanying goods or baggage before they leave a foreign port.
Pre-clearance strengthens economic competitiveness by expediting the flow of legitimate travel and trade while ensuring perimeter security and border integrity.
Recently, the two countries agreed in principle to expand pre-clearance to the Rocky Mountaineer, among other sites.
The intention is for expansion to occur after the new Agreement enters into force (The Government of Canada intends to introduce the necessary legislation in the spring of 2016) and for such expansion is to be contingent upon each site meeting all terms and conditions of that agreement, including recovery of costs for the deployment of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at new pre-clearance locations in Canada.
Over the next 90 days, Canada and the United States intend to convene the Pre-clearance Consultative Group (PCG) to discuss implementation issues at these locations and the potential for expansion to other sites in both countries over the medium to long term.
CBP officers currently conduct pre-clearance operations at eight Canadian airports including Vancouver. In addition, CBP officers conduct immigration pre-inspection at multiple BC locations in the rail and marine modes. Both countries will look fto convert these sites to full pre-clearance pursuant to meeting all the terms and conditions of the agreement.
A White Paper entitled The Benefits of US-Canada Preclearance in the Pacific Northwest, produced by the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region can be found in the
members-only section
of the TIABC website.
The Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER) is a statutory public/private
non-profit created in 1991 by the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Montana
and Washington, the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta,
Saskatchewan, and the Yukon and Northwest Territories. TIABC serves on the PNWER Pre-clearance Task Force.
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Changes to BC Society Act
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Research
National Tourism Indicators - Q4, 2015
Tourism spending in Canada grew 2.9% in 2015, following a 3.3% gain in 2014. Canadians at home and international visitors in Canada both contributed to the increase.
Tourism spending by Canadians at home rose 2.2%, following a 3.3% gain the previous year. Growth was mostly driven by an 8.4% increase in passenger air transport. Outlays on vehicle fuel (+1.6%) and recreation and entertainment (+2.2%) also rose, while those on accommodation (
-0.6%) and non-tourism goods and services (
-0.4%) were lower.
After increasing 2.9% in 2014, tourism spending by international visitors in Canada grew 5.8% in 2015, the fastest pace since 2010. Accommodation (+5.5%), passenger air transportation (+5.4%), and food and beverage services (+6.5%) all contributed to the increase.
Tourism
GDP grew 3.1%, the sixth consecutive annual increase and the strongest growth since 2010. Transportation (+8.3%) accounted for over half of the growth in tourism
GDP. Food and beverage services (+2.0%), accommodation (+1.4%), and other tourism industries (+1.8%) also increased. Tourism
GDP in non-tourism industries rose 1.4%.
Tourism jobs increased 1.6%, following a 1.4% gain in 2014. Food and beverage services (+2.3%), recreation and entertainment (+3.5%), and accommodation (+1.3%) all contributed to job growth. Tourism jobs in the air transportation industry (
-0.1%) were slightly lower.
Thousands of Tourists Expected as Vancouver Cruise Season Begins
As Canada Place celebrates its 30th anniversary, Vancouver is expected to welcome roughly 830,000 cruise passengers, a 3% increase over 2015. While the number of calls (228) is actually the same, larger ships account for the difference in passenger volume.
The Vancouver cruise industry stimulates more than $2 million in economic activity for each ship that calls at Canada Place. In 2015, a party of three spent $649 in Vancouver and another $264 in other parts in B.C (just over $300 per person). The majority of passengers (62%) came from the U.S., while 23% were from overseas and 16% from Canada.
Source: www.metronews.ca/news/vancouver/2016/04/04/cruiseship-season-gets-underway-in-vancouver.html
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In This Issue
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CEO's Message
TIABC News
Industry News
Research
Calendar of Events
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AGM & Summit May 24-26
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Registration is open!
Early-bird deadline
ends May 10
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Board of Directors Nominations
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TIABC is seeking nominations for the 2016-17 board of directors until April 8, 2016
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Calendar of Events
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April 11, 2016
April 21, 2016
April 24-27, 2016
May 3-5, 2106
May 9-10, 2016
May 24-26, 2016
May 24-29, 2016
May 29-June 4, 2016
June 1-6, 2016
September 26-30, 2016
October 4-6, 2016
Visit TIABC's
Event Calendar for more events. Tell us about your event and we will add it to the list.
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