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Voice of the BC Tourism Industry
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Chair's Message
I've enjoyed the privilege of voting for over 40 years. Even when I served in the military and was deployed overseas, I still exercised my right as a Canadian and British Columbian to vote in both federal and provincial elections.
As a senior naval officer, I was part of several ally missions that helped people in oppressed countries fight for their freedom and right to elect a government rather than live under the rule of a dictatorship with no hope for change.
That's why I am passionate about elections and encouraging fellow citizens to cast a ballot. Given my experiences and what I've witnessed around the world, I cannot fathom why anyone would not take the opportunity to help determine what kind of province they want to live in and be part of.
In reviewing Elections B.C. stats, I noted that while the cumulative number of voters who cast a ballot has increased each election, the percentage of eligible voters who actually voted has declined by 15 points from 1983 to 2013. What's even more concerning is that over the last five elections, the percentage of eligible voters who visited a polling station has averaged only around 55%.
Do people just not care? Do residents believe their vote doesn't matter? Do people believe the outcome is a foregone conclusion? Who knows why many of us choose not to vote.
If all non-voters were under my Naval command, I would deploy them to a remote outpost and leave them to fight amongst themselves to decide who assumes a leadership role. I suspect it wouldn't take them long to figure out why voting matters.
Like all previous elections, this one is critical. So as you evaluate your local candidates, I implore you to consider (among other key provincial issues) which of the three political parties or respective platforms gives our industry the best opportunity to build on recent record-setting results, as well as tackle the challenges that stifle growth.
And for the love of your province...vote. That's an order!
Jim Humphrey
Chair, TIABC
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TIABC Welcomes New Member
Guide Outfitters Association of British Columbia
The Guide Outfitters Association of British Columbia is a non-profit society that was established in 1966 to represent the guide outfitting industry.
The association helps to market the Canadian northwest as the premier hunting destination and endorse the responsible, sustainable and ethical use of the wildlife resource.
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TIABC Guide to the 2017 BC Election
British Columbians Vote on May 9th
TIABC (with input from several sector partners) has produced a
Guide to the 2017 BC Election that provides tourism stakeholders with suggestions on how to engage candidates of all political stripes in discussions about issues and opportunities related to B.C.'s visitor economy.
We believe you'll find this to be a valuable tool to help frame the relevant issues, as well as to learn more about party platforms/actions the next government will take relative to tourism.
Review or download a copy of the guide from our TIABC website
TIABC is also in the process of creating a list of candidates for each riding. We will continue to update the document as we receive more information. Be sure to connect with your candidates and ask questions. The 2017 BC Election Candidate List can be found on our website.
Read about the various party platforms:
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Tell Us Why You Love Tourism!
In the tourism industry, we are extremely lucky to have the opportunity to share our love for this breathtaking country with visitors. To celebrate Canada's 150th birthday, go2HR is putting together 150 reasons why we love working in the BC tourism industry, and they need your input!
Share your love for working in BC's tourism industry in 150 words or less, and you could win one of two $150 Visa gift cards!
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Tourism Week 2017
Tourism Week - May 28th to June 3rd, 2017
Stay tuned to TIABC for upcoming news on Tourism Week 2017. Once again, tourism week in
Canada aligns tourism organizations, businesses and other partners from across the country around a common vision: a tourism sector recognized for its many contributions.
In British Columbia, the tourism industry is getting ready to celebrate because
#BCTourismMatters
Save the date and getting to share!
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Numbers You Need to Know
BC's February Numbers
The beginning of 2017 showed an increase of 3.5% in overnight entries year-to-date to BC. BC had an increase of 13.2% in entries from Europe during February 2017. Destination BC's
International Visitor Arrivals publication summarizes custom entries data to British Columbia and Canada from selected markets of origin and be accessed on the Destination BC
website.
Canada's February Numbers
Source: TIAC
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#BCTourismMatters
Kelowna International Airport (YLW) Records Busiest Month Ever
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| Photo: KelownaNow |
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The Kelowna International Airport (YLW) broke records in March when they reported their
busiest month ever
serving 173,504 passengers.
YLW broke the previous record set in December 2016, when the airport served 166,537 passengers.
The number of passengers served in March 2017 is up 14.2% compared to March 2016, when the YLW served 151,909 passengers. I
n total, YLW served 1,732,113 passengers in 2016.
Sun Peaks Celebrates Record Season for Winter Visitation 
An action-packed events calendar, return guests and some fantastic late season snowfall were contributing factors to another record setting winter season at
Sun Peaks Resort. As of the end of March, Sun Peaks' resort-wide room nights increased by 12% compared to the same period last year. A new record was also set for overall skier visits.
 Tourism Golden Celebrates 10 years
Tourism Golden's
10th AGM was held on April 10th
and highlights of their growth was shared with stakeholders.
Municipal Regional District Tax (MRDT) received in Golden and area has increased by more than 70% between 2007-08 and 2014-15, with a 23% increase from 2013-14 to 2014-15 alone. Length of stay has also increased from 2.06 nights in 2013 to 2.4 nights in 2015. Tourism Golden has been very successful with their PR & Travel Media activities and has earned over 850 million impressions in their 10 years of operation.
Canada, USA and Mexico To Submit a Joint Bid for 2026 FIFA World Cup 
Canada, USA and Mexico have declared their intention to submit a unified bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup™. The historic unified bid represents the first time that three nations would jointly host a FIFA competition.
Vancouver was among six Canadian cities that hosted the 24-nation FIFA Women's World Cup Canada in 2015, including the final match. With record-setting attendance for any FIFA event outside of the men's FIFA World Cup™, over 1.35 million spectators attended matches while more than 20 million Canadian viewers watched the competition on television.
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Mountain Bike Tourism Symposium
Revelstoke, British Columbia
- Trail Building Workshops and Welcome Reception - September 13
- Two full days of sessions, guided rides and social events - September 14 and 15
- Stay for the weekend and enjoy Revelstoke Bikefest - September 15-17
British Columbia has long been a major contributor to the world of mountain biking. From its clandestine beginnings to its growth into the mainstream, mountain biking has become an established form of outdoor recreation and lifestyle that people enjoy in every corner of the province. The diverse trails and inspiring landscapes that are cherished by so many British Columbians have caught the attention of riders from around the globe.
The 2017 BC Mountain Bike Tourism Symposium is an opportunity for stakeholders and experts to gather and share insights and knowledge about how to progress toward a more sustainable and vibrant mountain bike tourism sector. Learn from the successes and challenges of those that have been working in the field and explore what is necessary to take B.C.'s mountain bike economy to the next level.
Stewardship is the core theme for this year's event and emphasizes the importance of taking care of our trails, our businesses, and our industry. B.C. is attracting more mountain bike visitors than ever before to ride the trails we love and we need to ensure that the effort to maintain our trails is adequately supported. The symposium will highlight many examples of good stewardship and underscore the need for increasing our capacity to ensure a sustainable future.
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Free Webinar for TIABC Members
Green Tourism provides free webinars for TIABC members.
Join Green Tourism on either Thursday, May 11th or Thursday May 18th at 11:00 a.m. PST for
What Travellers Want But Aren't Telling You: Unlocking the Secret Desires of Your Guests
For further details on the webinar content, please click
here.
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TIAC Update
On April 5th, Charlotte Bell, TIAC President & CEO, gave a presentation to the Conservative Tourism Caucus on Parliament Hill. The presentation outlined the state of the tourism industry, industry wins, and a peek at TIAC's advocacy objectives for the next year - increasing Canada's competitive advantage on the world tourism stage.
To view a PDF copy of the presentation, please click
here.
Canadian Tourism Award Nominations Now Open
The Canadian Tourism Awards (CTA) showcase the nation's best tourism products, services and experiences.
 In celebration of Canada's big year, TIAC has partnered with Canada 150 to create a unique new award category. The Canada 150 Diversity Award is an opportunity to highlight the remarkable and innovative contribution by an organization that has successfully reflected diversity in its approach, tourism product, service or event, and has branded Canada as a diverse, innovative and welcoming destination for domestic and international tourists.
Criteria for this year's categories and other important information can be found on the TIAC website: tiac.travel
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YVR Seeks Input
YVR invites you to join their Open House to learn more about Phase 2 of Vancouver International Airport's (YVR) Runway End Safety Area (RESA) project.
A RESA is a specialized surface, located at either end of a runway, designed to protect passengers, crew and the aircraft in the unlikely event of an aircraft undershoot or overrun of the runway. As an airport committed to excellence in safety, YVR is continuing to build RESAs which exceed the pending Canadian standard. Construction will be completed by 2020 in advance of the anticipated deadline for RESA implementation in Canada.
YVR is currently undertaking the third and final year of construction of Phase 1 of its RESA project which includes building RESAs on the South and Crosswind Runways. YVR met with community members in the fall of 2014 about Phase 1.
As Phase 1 nears completion, YVR is now planning for Phase 2 of the RESA project which will add RESAs to the North Runway.
Feedback can be provided online at
yvr.ca/resa
. YVR will also be hosting an information booth at their Annual Public Meeting in the East Concourse on
May 11th at 3:00 p.m.
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For further details on the Vancouver Economic Commission workshop, please visit
Tourism Vancouver
For further details on the Future-Ready Restaurant Forum, please visit
Tourism Vancouver
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Chair's Message
TIABC Guide to the 2017 BC Election
#Ilovemyjob
Numbers You Need to Know
#BCTourismMatters
Industry News
Calendar of Events
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Capilano University
May 2-4, 2017
May 11, 2017
May 28 - June 3, 2017
September 13-15, 2017
Revelstoke, BC
September 19 - 21, 2017
Sidney, BC
September 25-29, 2017
Vancouver, BC
2017 Kootenay Rockies Tourism Industry Conference& AGM
October 17-18, 2017
Golden, BC
November 1-2, 2017
Kamloops, BC
Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism AGM
November 3-5, 2017
Williams Lake, BC
BC Tourism Industry Conference
March 7-9, 2018
Kelowna, BC
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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