Voice of the BC Tourism Industry
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Thanks (or no thanks) to Netflix the soap opera Nashville seems to be on more frequently these days in my house, especially now that the long, dark days of fall are upon us.
My better half claims she watches it for the music and not the dynamics between the egocentric, narcissist country music stars and their protégés. I believed her until she dragged me to two music centric movies recently…’A Star is Born’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. While I really enjoyed the soundtracks in both movies, the antics of the performers were even more intriguing.
With plotlines that depicted rock-star achievements, politics on multiple levels, good and bad relationships, various crises, out of this world experiences, difficult negotiations, can't miss opportunities, calculated risks, confident leadership, outstanding performances, stellar customer service, creative marketing, constant travel/touring and more, I couldn’t help but draw a parallel to my day-to-day reality working within BC’s visitor economy.
For me, it’s not a stretch to apply any one of the aforementioned scenarios to a BC tourism storyline this year. For example, our industry collectively enjoyed tremendous success in spite of another major crisis (e.g. wildfires); we negotiated with decision-makers and managed through unwelcome political decisions (e.g. MRDT); we showed leadership and took advantage of opportunities (e.g.
Destination BC & the cross-Canada User Generated Content Partner Network); and we delivered exceptional experiences and performed admirably to build and/or maintain a solid reputation on the world stage (e.g. TOTA Biosphere designation).
Still puzzled by the music/performer link? Consider this:
Port Hardy, Prince George, Cranbrook, Kelowna, Kamloops, Williams Lake, Victoria, Osoyoos; the list reads like stops on a band’s concert tour. Actually, each place was a stop on the TIABC conference tour over the past couple of months as members of my band (i.e. board) joined me for performances (i.e. presentations) to receptive audiences (i.e. tourism operators/stakeholders, members) in each city. Hopefully by now you get the point.
After months on the road, the TIABC 2018 conference tour wraps up next week near Ottawa but resumes in Q1, 2019. To everyone we met and spoke with on our travels, thank you for your hospitality, insights, candour and guidance. We hope our visit was worthwhile.
For the record, rehearsals are underway for the BC Tourism Industry Conference in late February, the next stop on the TIABC conference tour. Details will be announced within days. As they say on Nashville, y’all be sure to secure tickets to the show.
Walt Judas
CEO, TIABC
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Ride-Hailing Announcement
Draft legislation introduced on November 19th will allow ride-hailing companies to enter the B.C. market next year while putting priority on safety for passengers.
If passed, the Passenger Transportation Amendment Act will enable:
- ICBC to develop a modern insurance product for ride-hailing for fall of 2019.
- A new, data-driven approach to improve taxi service and ride-hailing opportunities, particularly at high-demand locations and peak times, by strengthening the Passenger Transportation Board’s authority to determine fares, vehicle supply and operating areas.
- The development of measures to make sure people are not left stranded when traveling from one municipality to another.
- The inclusion of a per-trip fee to fund more accessibility options for people with disabilities.
- Increased enforcement of the rules with stiffer penalties for taxi and ride-hailing companies for working outside the law.
TIABC supports many of the recommendations put forward in the bill. See TIABC's ride-sharing and taxi reform submission to the Transportation Ministry in the Members-only section of our website.
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Attention DMOs
- We Need Your Response - Collective Perspective Survey
Every year, the BC Chamber of Commerce Collective Perspective survey takes the pulse on BC’s economic climate.
The survey reaches every sector of BC's economy—making it one of BC’s most comprehensive economic snapshots.
Results from the survey serve several purposes:
- They inform our advocacy efforts and define how we advance policies that serve BC Businesses
- Results are shared with government, in preparation for the 2019 budget.
- The survey identifies evolving trends over time, and helps our members and partners see where we’ve come from, and where we’re going.
Please take the survey — and share with your network. Make sure your voice is heard.
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Temporary Foreign Worker Program
Survey
The Conservative Party is seeking input from stakeholders across the country on building a vision for Canada's immigration policy and how we should implement it.
As Shadow Cabinet Minister for Tourism, Blake Richards is seeking industry input
on completely revamping Canada's low skilled Temporary Foreign Worker program to achieve the following objectives:
- Ensuring that Canadians get the first crack at jobs in our country;
- That wage distortion and worker abuse are prevented;
- That industry groups who have legitimate need of the program face reduced barriers to receive labour; and
- To allow those who enter Canada as low skilled workers a permanent path to residency;
Please visit the
online survey
to provide your input.
www.blakerichards.ca/pathway-to-canada
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Canadian Tourism Sector Compensation Study
If you want to attract, recruit, and retain skilled workers for peak performance in your workplace, you need to ensure your compensation package is competitive.
Tourism HR Canada is running the 2018 Canadian Tourism Sector Compensation Study and looking for participants in British Columbia. The survey takes only 10 – 15 minutes to complete and the final report including analysis by region and subsector will be made available to all participants.
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Federal Tourism Minister Meets with BC Stakeholders
Federal Tourism Minister Melanie Joly was in Vancouver, Victoria and West Kelowna last week to host roundtable discussions with industry leaders, including TIABC and several of its members, to identify issues and opportunities in the development of a new Canadian tourism strategy..
Minister Joly began her tour in Niagara Falls where she announced the creation of the
Advisory Council on Jobs and the Visitor Economy
. The Council will help identify important issues facing the tourism sector in Canada and recommend new ways of increasing Canadian tourism opportunities and competitiveness globally.
Photo credit: Mayor Lisa Helps
Twitter
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The Tourism Industry Association Of Canada Inducts The Honourable Nancy Green Raine into the Canadian Tourism Hall of Fame
Nancy will be formally recognized for her contributions to the tourism industry at the Air Canada Canadian Tourism Hall of Fame Luncheon on Tuesday, November 27 during TIAC's Tourism Congress.
Nancy Greene Raine, was named Canada’s female athlete of the 20th century. She won gold and silver medals in alpine skiing at the 1968 Grenoble Olympics and overall World Cup titles in 1967 and 1968. Her total of 13 World Cup victories is still a Canadian record.
After retiring competition, Nancy was very active promoting winter sports and tourism. With her husband, Al Raine she was instrumental in the early development of the Whistler-Blackcomb Resort and Sun Peaks Resort where they owned and operated hotels. Since 1994, Nancy has been the Director of Skiing at Sun Peaks Resort.
Ms. Greene Raine is an Officer of the Order of Canada, Member of the Order of British Columbia, a member of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and Canada’s Walk of Fame and is Chancellor Emerita of Thompson Rivers University. She was also named a Tourism Ambassador for B.C. and served as the Chairman for Tourism for the Asia Pacific Initiative.
The Hon. Nancy Greene Raine was appointed to the Canadian Senate in January, 2009 and served until May 2018
.
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Nancy Stibbard to be Awarded the Toronto Tourism Canadian Lifetime Achievement Award
The Tourism Industry Association of Canada is proud to announce that Nancy Stibbard, owner and CEO of the Capilano Group, will be awarded the Tourism Toronto Canadian Tourism Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's Canadian Tourism Awards.
Nancy Stibbard, Owner and CEO of the Capilano Group was inducted into Canada’s Tourism Hall of Fame in September 2007.
Nancy was raised on tourism. Her father, Rae Mitchell, purchased Capilano Suspension Bridge Park in 1953 and put her to work scooping ice cream, even though she was only a child! While raising her own family, she made the decision to purchase Capilano Suspension Bridge Park in 1983 and since then has revamped the attraction. Nancy also purchased and rebuilt Moraine Lake Lodge in 1991 and Cathedral Mountain Lodge in 2002. In 2014, the Stanley Park Pavilion and Prospect Point were added to the Capilano Group portfolio.
Over the years, Nancy has mobilized others in tourism to work toward common goals, creating cooperative organizations such as the Tourism Industry Association of BC and the Vancouver Attractions Group. She has also contributed to countless Boards and Committees, including recently completing her 6-year term on the Tourism Industry Association of Canada’s (TIAC) Board of Directors. She has returned to the Board of Tourism Vancouver, which she had chaired.
Nancy’s accomplishments have not gone unrecognized, award highlights include Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year (Pacific Canada) (1996), Business in Vancouver’s Influential Women in Business Award (2000), Tourism Vancouver’s Harold J. Merilees Award and being inducted into Canada’s Tourism Hall of Fame (2007). In addition, the Capilano team has been honoured with three of TIAC’s National Tourism Excellence Awards, Tourism BC’s Outside the Box Award for Innovation, Tourism BC’s Best Marketing Campaign and the American Marketing Association’s (BC Chapter) Marketer of the Year Award.
Nancy’s vision ‘to create experiences that people are amazed by’ means she is always seeking new ways to “wow” her guests. At Capilano that has meant two major additions: Treetops Adventure in 2004 and Cliffwalk in 2011. Both are unique, state-of-the-art, thrilling attractions, giving visitors reasons to return again and again.
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Tourism Chilliwack Launches New Brand
Tourism Chilliwack's annual Christmas Breakfast included the launch of their exciting new brand launch.
The 275 guests at the breakfast included representatives from TIABC and Destination BC.
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Call for Applications for Destination BC's Tourism Marketing Committee Extended to November 28th
To ensure a variety of qualified candidates, from every region of the province, Destination BC is extending the application deadline until Wednesday, November 28, 2018.
The extension will not impact the applications already received; rather, it is intended to give industry members, from all regions of the province, sufficient time to apply for membership on the Tourism Marketing Committee.
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Vancouver Among North America's Top Meeting & Convention Destinations
Vancouver has been ranked one of North America’s top meeting and convention destinations according to the
2018 Watkins Report
Meeting and Convention Planners Survey.
Considered the most comprehensive and authoritative ranking in the industry, the biennial report is based on a survey of nearly 1,000 meeting and convention organizers in North America, evaluating the 40 most popular convention destinations in the US and Canada.
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Global overnight arrivals to Canada year-to-date August 2018 surpassed the peak last established in 2001, establishing a new record high.
Canada welcomed over 8.9 million overnight visitors over the summer 2018 period (June to August), representing the third best summer ever after 2002 and 2001.
Year-to-date (YTD) August 2018, overnight arrivals of visitors to Canada from Destination Canada’s 10 international markets improved to +1% on the strength of a rebound in US auto arrivals to Canada in August (+9%, +3% YTD).
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Okanagan College Wins 2018/19 Regional Tourism Student Case Competition
The Winning Pitch
, organized and presented by go2HR, BC’s tourism human resource association, is a post-secondary student case competition. This year, student teams had to develop a new product or service that supports the development of accessible tourism opportunities in the Thompson Okanagan region.
Four teams from Thompson Rivers University and Okanagan College had 10 minutes each to present their high-level business concept to an industry judging panel. Zackery Plaxton, took home first place with their proposal of “AccessFest”. We look forward to seeing this team in action again at the finals during the BC Tourism Industry Conference in February.
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Britannia Mine Museum Unveils Plans for New Show
The Britannia Mine Museum is unveiling concept designs for the upcoming Mill show experience, a new feature attraction and immersive multi-sensory show that brings the 20-storey Mill building and National Historic Site back to life. The new Mill experience show also features the incredible work of Dynamic Attractions, a Port Coquitlam based company specializing in building some of the world's most iconic and award–winning amusement theme park attractions and structures.
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Tourism Kelowna's Inaugural Winter Program Launched
Tourism Kelowna's first winter co-operative marketing program has launched and is inviting travellers to come and ski, stay, and play in Kelowna. The co-op marketing program is a joint effort with Big White Ski Resort, 10 local accommodators, five tour companies, and 16 participating wineries.
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Vacations of the Brave
Destination Canada is releasing an original 8-part travel series titled “Vacations of the Brave,” which premiered on Amazon Prime Video on November 10 in the US. The first four episodes will premiere in 2018 with additional episodes released in 2019.“Vacations of the Brave” aims to motivate travellers to set out on their own transformational journeys of adventure, inspiration and self-discovery in Canada. The series follows real Americans who have made a positive difference at home, are breaking barriers and redefining bravery in America.
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Northern BC Tourism Busy with Industry Programming
Northern BC Tourism's latest newsletter was full with content about industry programs aimed at assisting tourism businesses including content marketing projects, travel media, regional destination development planning, Google verification program, Indigenous Tourism, Remarkable Experiences training program, travel trade, 2019 Travel Guide and funding programs.
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BC Communities to Host World Juniors Pre-Tournament Games
The road to the World Juniors will run through nine different communities in British Columbia next month.
Twelve pre-tournament games have been announced, as international hockey gets spread around the province beginning on December 18. It includes all 10 teams competing in the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship, beginning in Vancouver and Victoria next month. Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island will each receive five pre-tournament games, while BC’s Interior hosts two games of their own.
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WESTCOAST Sightseeing Offers New Tour
The new tour roster is an exciting new addition to their Whistler + Shannon Falls Tour. Starting December 1st, guests will get to experience an adventure with Sea to Sky Gondola before continuing on to visit Whistler Village.
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Join TIABC Today and Be Entered to Win!
TIABC's vision is “For tourism to be recognized as one BC’s leading and sustainable industries". As the primary advocate for British Columbia’s visitor economy, TIABC’s mission is about “Uniting operators, sectors, DMOs, government and residents to support and be passionate about making BC a great place for tourism".
We can't do this without a solid base of members. Whether your business, association or DMO is large or small, join us today and make the voice for the tourism industry even stronger.
All *
new
members who join TIABC between now and December 31st, 2018 will be entered to win one (1) free registration to the 2019
BC Tourism Industry Conference
.
Join today and be entered to win!
***New members are those who have not been a member of TIABC for at least the past three years
Why Join? Hear what some of our members have to say:
Learn about our types of membership and the cost:
View of list of members to see who in the industry are TIABC supporters:
And mark your calendars for
TIABC's AGM
(November 1 in Vancouver) and our
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November 27 - 28
Gatineau, Quebec
January 20-23, 2019
Victoria
February 27 - March 1, 2019
JW Marriott Parq Hotel, Vancouver
November 2019
Kelowna
Send us your event listings and we can include it on our list!
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