By my wife's calculations, I'm in the midst of my fourth mid-life crisis after buying a Harley Davidson motorcycle that sits in the garage most of the time.

 

Yet in spite of an unbelievably busy year at my resort, I've managed to carve out some time to hop on the hog and take in the sites and sounds of communities all along the coast of Vancouver Island. These rides not only allow me to soak in the beauty of the island, they give me a break from the daily grind of operating a small business, along with some thinking time to contemplate other priorities. But for the past few weeks, as I referenced in my last message, my thoughts have been focused on a crisis of a different kind that has generated national and international headlines. Stay with me for a moment.

 

During my rides, I've stopped to speak with many island tourism operators like me who are experiencing above average revenues without any signs of a slowdown until late fall.  No question that a demanding, thriving, exhausting, 24/7 tourism business a good problem to have (in spite of labour challenges), particularly since many operators rely on the peak summer months to make hay.

 

Similar to my own experience, operators have told me that Vancouver Island communities in particular have been the beneficiaries of travelers who changed their plans to visit other places in B.C. because of the wildfires and instead chose the island. On the one hand it's encouraging that the B.C. is open for business message is being heard. On the other hand, I am also mindful and extremely sensitive to the fact that another community's misfortune or crisis is definitely not the primary way we want to gain business.

 

At TIABC we continue to hear about so many businesses in various parts of the province impacted by the ongoing wildfire situation.  From destroyed buildings to lost customers, the fall-out has been enormous, especially in the Cariboo Chilcotin region. Although we won't fully understand or appreciate the magnitude of the impact until sometime later this year, we know that places like Barkerville (outside of the immediate fire zone) have experienced a 50% drop in business translating into a significant direct hit to the bottom line for the community and its merchants.

 

We're also learning about other wildfire ramifications. For example, many operators are grappling with insurance policy restrictions, compensation limitations, staff departures, the destruction of the natural habitat they rely on to provide a world-class visitor experience, and a multitude of other issues.

 

The stories are heartbreaking and the problems seemingly insurmountable.  But as I've said before, while we are vulnerable to Mother Nature's wrath from time-to-time, we're also a resilient sector that supports one another and finds a way to bounce back. Just ask the folks in the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast region who've had numerous challenges over the past decade.

 

So while Vancouver Island and other parts of the province are largely untouched by the wildfires (aside from air quality) or have even experienced an increase in business, we nonetheless deeply empathize with those colleagues who are affected and need to pull together as an entire industry and province to assist with recovery efforts in whatever way we can. At TIABC, we're committed to being an integral part of that process.

 

Mid-life crisis aside, as I look at the Harley parked in the garage I've promised myself that one-day real soon I'll take the opportunity to ride to at least one of the directly impacted communities and spend some of the money I earned this year in local businesses. After all, choosing to vacation within our own province is the very least we can do to help tourism operators and our industry pull through the 2017 wildfire crisis.

 

 

Friday, October 13: BC DMO Association Fall Meeting fat the Westin Wall Centre, Vancouver Airport Hotel in Richmond. Timing/agenda/RSVP details to be forwarded to BCDMOA members.