Voice of the BC Tourism Industry
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Chair's Message
Although it seems a bit late in January to be saying this, Happy New Year!
Reflecting back on the last 12 months of advocacy work, it seems we spent a great deal of time responding to government engagement processes, both at the federal and provincial level. As referenced in previous newsletters, TIABC submitted positions or briefs on topics ranging from labour to private managed forests.
With 2020 already more than three weeks old, the pattern of regular submissions will likely continue. Case in point, we're working on another submission to provide the province with input on the new Emergency Program Act, designed to formally align BC with the United Nations Sendai Framework that represents international best practices on managing emergencies. TIABC's brief will be submitted on behalf of the Tourism Emergency Management Committee comprised of representatives from Destination BC, as well as regional and community destination marketing organizations, and other stakeholders.
As you can appreciate, gathering research, consulting industry, developing a position, and writing the brief is a relatively big task. The question is...is it worth it? In other words, does government listen and consider perspectives from organizations like TIABC?
The short answer is yes. Governments do read submissions and evaluate positions and input from a variety of sources including sector associations, businesses, individuals and other stakeholders. And while they may not always change policy or direction, there are times where speaking up makes a difference.
For example, as a resident of Vancouver, I was troubled by the city's proposal to take the middle two lanes of the congested Granville Street Bridge (one of the primary ways in and out of downtown) and construct elevated pathways for pedestrians, cyclists and wheelchair users. Don't get me wrong, I'm in favour of pathways for alternate means of transportation, even on the Granville Street Bridge, but eliminating the middle two lanes did not make sense.
Via a community consultation process, the city heard from an overwhelming number of people who rejected the middle lane proposal and instead suggested the west side of the bridge for the pathway...something the city is now moving forward with. Although TIABC did not offer a position on this issue, it served as a good reminder that we need to continue engaging in government consultation processes that affect BC's visitor economy, particularly at the provincial level, but also at the local and federal level.
On a related note, just last week the Province announced they will be accepting proposals from municipalities on piloting the use of e-scooters in their communities. For anyone that’s been to an American city with an e-scooter program like
Bird
or
Lime
, you’ll know that they are a huge hit with tourists. Closer to home in Calgary, the city launched an e-scooter pilot program that has already registered some 550,000 trips totalling more than 1.3 million kilometres.
While the Province hasn't asked for submissions or opinions on e-scooters yet, it could be on their radar after the test period concludes. I can't say for sure whether TIABC will offer a position given our myriad priorities, but if it makes sense from a transportation and tourism perspective, we'll be ready with pen in hand.
Alroy Chan
Chair, TIABC
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BC Tourism Industry Conference
Early-bird Registration Deadline is Approaching
Join us March 4 to 6, 2020 in Victoria!
Early Bird fees will end on January 31st.
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BCTIC 2020
Session Spotlight
Join us Thursday March 5th for our m
orning
Power Plenary Panel
:
Modes of transportation and related infrastructure such as highways, airports, transit systems and ports are critical components of British Columbia’s visitor economy. The ability for tourists to get to and move around within BC is key to maintaining or growing visitation, particularly outside of the province’s major centres.
British Columbia’s top transportation CEOs will engage in an informative and illuminating panel discussion that looks at the future of transportation through the lens of growth scenarios, sustainability, infrastructure development, electrification, and other key opportunities and issues.
Panelists:
- Mark Collins – President & CEO, BC Ferries
- Eric Hopkins – President & CEO, BC Automobile Association (EVO car share)
- Erinn Pinkerton – President & CEO, BC Transit
- Craig Richmond – President & CEO, Vancouver Airport Authority
Moderator: Val Litwin – President & CEO, BC Chamber of Commerce
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Support BC's Tourism Students
TIABC is seeking sponsors for the 2020 BC Tourism Industry Conference
Adopt-a-Student program. A few hundred dollars can enable a full-time student in BC to experience the conference and meet potential future employers.
Visit our website for more information or contact us at:
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TIABC Welcomes New Member
The Sport Fishing Institute of BC is a nonprofit society. Contributors and members are made up of a wide range of committed stakeholders including: fishing lodges, resorts, certified tidal angling guides, hotels, charter operators, manufacturers, distributors, tackle shops, dealers, boat marine manufacturers, regional airlines, individual anglers and key insurance industry organizations. The organization's common goals are to ensure sustainability of our natural resources and that angling opportunities are maintained and promoted.
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Take the PST Survey
If you are registered for the PST in British Columbia, would you be willing to help the Ministry of Finance improve the PST website by answering a few questions? This web survey will take approximately 5 minutes or less to complete.
Even if you are not familiar with the BC PST website, your feedback will make a difference! This survey will close on January 31st.
The Government of BC will not collect, use, or disclose personal information using SurveyMonkey. Please be aware however that IP addresses are collected by SurveyMonkey itself, and these IP addresses and other information collected will be stored on SurveyMonkey's servers located outside of Canada. This survey is voluntary and a response is encouraged, not required. Please do not provide any third-party information (i.e. talk about others) in your responses to the survey.
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2020 BCTIC Sponsorship Opportunities
The BC Tourism Industry Conference offers the opportunity to profile your organization or business to a significant audience of tourism industry professionals.
Close to 600 owner/operators, destination marketers, educators, government representatives, industry sectors and stakeholders come together to learn, discuss issues, network and take advantage of partnership opportunities to build British Columbia's visitor economy.
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Are You Needing Support With Your Recruitment Strategy?
Capilano University School of Tourism students are eager to help. In their 4th year, students in the HR class will be working with tourism businesses to create a comprehensive recruitment strategy throughout the month of February. After an initial consultation with you, students will analyze your needs and assess opportunities to help you attract a larger pool of candidates. In their report, students will design recruitment policies, draft a job posting and create recommendations on employer branding. They will recommend recruitment sources and present a digital strategy, helping you take a broader talent management approach. The time commitment for employers is 1-2 hours of virtual or in person meetings. There is no cost to participate.
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BC TIC Silent Auction Items Welcome
This is your opportunity to help raise funds for the important advocacy work carried out by TIABC on behalf of the BC tourism industry by donating a gift, package or other item.
Some suggestions for popular auction items include:
- Sports memorabilia and tickets
- Tickets to an event that are extremely hard to get
- Technological gadgets
- Certificates to restaurants and retail stores
- Weekend getaways at lake houses, hotels, bed and breakfasts
- Travel packages
- Memberships to health clubs, museums
- Artisan-made items such as jewelry, clothing, leather goods, art, and photography
- Gift Baskets - spa or gourmet food
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BC's Guide to Arts + Culture
Marketing Arts and Culture since 1999
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Tourism Prince George Announces New CEO
Tourism Prince George Society recently announced Tracey McBride as its new Chief Executive Officer. Tracey brings over 18 years of experience in municipal, regional and provincial tourism marketing and development to TPGS. She has a strong background in developing Indigenous tourism experiences and capacity development. She has worked in most tourism sectors including sports, conferences, media relations, travel trade and leisure markets with international events and audiences.
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go2HR Seeks CEO
go2HR is the industry-led Human Resources association for the BC tourism industry. Established in 1979, go2HR helps employers with HR issues such as labour shortages, training needs, occupational health & safety resources, employment-related policy and legislation, and labour market research. go2HR’s leadership role in the development, coordination and execution of the BC Tourism Human Resources Strategy is widely respected by industry employers, educators, government and other stakeholders.
Due to the retirement of the current incumbent, go2HR has an exciting opportunity for a proactive leader with the perfect combination of substance and style to take our non-profit organization to the next level.
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Chemistry Consulting Changes Ownership
The acquisition of Chemistry Consulting Group by two of the company’s senior consultants, Kim Osborne and Sheenagh Beadell, was recently announced. After a highly successful partnership of over 25 years, Christine Willow and Frank Bourree, former partners in Chemistry Consulting Group, are looking forward to spending more time with family and travelling, while continuing to engage independently on special interest projects as they move into semi-retirement.
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October International Arrivals
The international arrival numbers for October were released by Statistics Canada in late December. Based on this information, the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) is confident that we are on track for another record year for arrivals.
Overall, inbound visits are up 5% over last year, with the most growth coming from overseas residents. Europe, India (+17.6%) and Mexico (+27.8%) continue to have the best overall growth. Growth from China is fairly stagnant (+0.5%), which TIAC will continue to monitor.
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Sea to Sky Gondola Re-opening February 14
The journey to rebuild will come to an end six months and four days after a criminal act of vandalism on August 10, 2019 forced the closure. In the coming weeks, 30 new cabins will be installed on the new main haul rope that arrived from Switzerland at the end of October. The reopening comes just in time for Family Day Long Weekend with the gondola welcoming guests back with 50% off lift tickets all weekend long in celebration of the love and support they received from their community during the closure.
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Tourism Prince George Re-branding
On the heels of announcing its new CEO, Tourism Prince George will launch its new brand coinciding with Tourism Week in early June.
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Haida Gwaii One of New York Times Top Places to Go
Haida Gwaii has cracked the New York Times
52 Places to go
list, finishing at number 26. Washington, DC, the British Virgin Islands and Rurrenabaque, Bolivia make up the top three.
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Penticton Recognized as Craft Beer Capital in Lonely Planet
Popular travel guide publisher Lonely Planet has dubbed Penticton as “Canada’s craft beer capital.” The small city on the south end of Okanagan Lake was home to just one brewery two decades ago. The industry has organically grown to seven breweries today.
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Prince Rupert to Receive New Charging Stations
Converting to electric vehicles will soon be easier on Prince Rupert as two new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations are set to be installed. Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT) announced a commitment of $192,000 towards the creation of an EV charging network, with 47 stations across central and northern BC.
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New Luxury Hotel Planned for Vancouver
Cadillac Fairview, the company that owns downtown’s Pacific Centre, has announced plans to introduce a new luxury hotel that will replace Vancouver’s Four Seasons Hotel when it closes later this month.
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BC's Alpine Economy
Our province's hills are alive with skiers, snowmobilers and other alpine enthusiasts. BC Business magazine carves out some numbers on BC's alpine economy.
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New Additions to the Product Offering in Kelowna
There are some exciting additions to the tourism landscape taking place in Kelowna in the near future including new accommodations and enhanced wine tours.
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SAVE THE DATE
BC Hospitality Summit
April 6-7 in Kelowna
Delta Hotels by Marriott Grand Okanagan Resort
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March 4-6, Victoria
April 6-7, Kelowna
April 28-30, Whistler
October 21-22, Kelowna
Send us your event listings and we can include it on our list!
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