C-19 BULLETIN - May 10, 2021

Frontline Hotel Workers in Fraser Health Region
Now Eligible to Receive Vaccine

Staff working in the hotel industry, who have not already received their first vaccination, are now eligible to receive a vaccine.

Instructions for Frontline Staff
Staff working in the hotel industry, who have not already received their first vaccination, can
register on the Provincial vaccination system by following the instructions outlined below:

First Dose Registration and Booking
1. Visit the provincial vaccination website: https://www.getvaccinated.gov.bc.ca
2. Follow the registration instructions. Employees will need the following information:
• Full Name
• Personal Health Number
• Date of Birth
• Postal Code
• Home Address
• Email or cell phone to send booking invitation
Access Code*

3. Frontline worker group the access code is: 20008107336 (for Fraser Health frontline hotel workers only)

4. Once you are registered, you will receive an email or text notification with a link to
proceed with booking an appointment

5. Click on the link provided and follow the booking instructions (vaccination appointments
are available at specific COVID-19 Immunization Centres in the Fraser Health region).

This registration site is intended only for identified frontline workers. By choosing to register through this service, you are acknowledging that you have received this code from your employer. This letter, link and code are not transferrable. If the code is misused, it will be cancelled and the ability to continue with the vaccination through this program may be compromised. Anyone booking an appointment who is not an eligible member of this priority group will be turned away at the clinic.

Learn more here.

Registration instructions for Vancouver Coastal Health Workers will be available by Tuesday morning.
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A Collaborative Plan to Re-launch Tourism in BC: A Request to Premier Horgan

Last month, TIABC and the BC Hotel Association (BCHA) wrote to Premier Horgan regarding the need to look ahead to the work that comes next.

As outlined in the letter, TIABC and the BCHA represent a
broad, province-wide coalition of employers and associations ready to collaborate with the provincial government on the re-opening of the sector. Together we can ensure that a thriving tourism industry benefits communities and businesses across British Columbia. However, there are signficant challenges being faced by our industry:

  • employers who make up the sector are currently making hiring, leasing, marketing, borrowing and other critical financial decisions that could make or break their businesses and therefore the sector; they are doing so absent of information and continued certainty

  • national and international tour companies are already indicating they need to see a broad restart plan for them to book tours to British Columbia in 2021 and 2022

  • without a plan, the sector will have difficulty planning, making informed decisions, and will be unsure how to adapt to future changes; while a plan is not a guarantee of future circumstances, it does form a critical base for decision making for when change occurs

The 3-page letter outlines the request for a collaborative plan to re-launch tourism in BC. Premier Horgan responded with phone calls to both TIABC's Walt Judas and BCHA's Ingrid Jarrett. The Province has also been meeting with a broader Tourism Advisory Committee for input on travel orders, recovery and other initiatives including restart. Further details will be shared in the coming weeks.

View the letter here
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Labour Force Survey Data Shows Tourism Unemployment Still High

The seasonally adjusted data shows employment across all industries—not just tourism—dropping by 207,000. The unadjusted data shows a drop of “only” 73,700. This is noteworthy because the gap between adjusted and unadjusted data is particularly large this month. Usually, employment starts to increase in the spring as business begin to prepare for the summer. Because the usual trend at this time of year is an employment increase, any decrease is going to be significantly amplified when seasonal adjustments are applied. This is something to keep in mind when reading the headlines in the news.
 
That said, employment across all industries fell by 73,700. Tourism employment fell by 68,900, a decrease of 4.4% from March. The tourism sector accounted for 93.5% of employment losses
 
Every tourism industry group saw employment decrease. Travel services was hit particularly hard this month. Employment in that industry group dropped by 24.0%.
 
Despite the drop in employment, the tourism sector unemployment rate actually declined. This was driven by declining unemployment rates in the food and beverage and travel services industry. This seems counter intuitive but it tells us that former workers were not actively seeking new employment during the month of April. Considering current lockdown conditions, that is fairly understandable.
To keep track of employment trends and the impact of COVID on tourism labour, with data you can easily tailor to your needs check out: Tourism Employment Tracker (tourismhr.ca)
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HASCAP Survey

The Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) is seeking your feedback on the Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program (HASCAP). Your participation in this member survey will be critical in identifying barriers related to our sector’s ability to access HASCAP. Please complete the survey even if you did not apply for HASCAP so we have current information on the financial challenges facing our industry. Your input today will help HAC in its advocacy work to inform Government and facilitate any necessary program adjustments.
Please complete this survey by Wednesday, May 12th. It will only take a few minutes to complete.

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TIABC Presents FREE Industry Webinar

Behaviour-Smart Thinking for the Travel Industry
How a behavioural perspective can help accelerate the travel industry’s recovery towards the post-COVID-19 New Normal

Tuesday May 19th, 2021
9:00am PDT
This session is free, but participants are asked to register here

TIABC is proud to host this session that will offer ideas on how behaviour-smart thinking can enhance our understanding for and ability to address the complex challenges faced by the contemporary tourism industry. Behaviour-smart thinking is inspired by behavioural economics, a fast-growing knowledge domain that uses insights from psychology to explain phenomena across different socio-economic contexts (from why people make the wrong decisions about their health and finances to why they fail to be responsible to the environment even when they truly value nature.)

A lot of the complex challenges in the tourism sector are (partly) fuelled by systematic errors in the assumed choices and actions of travellers, entrepreneurs, hosts or destination professionals. This discussion will demonstrate the benefits of aligning assumptions with the most current insights from behavioural sciences. Using business and destination-level examples it will demonstrate how behaviour-smart thinking can inform the design of innovative human-centred solutions that optimize commercial and sustainability practices across different levels. It will also offer insights on how a behavioural perspective can help accelerate the travel industry’s recovery towards the post-COVID-19 New Normal.
Milena S. Nikolova, PhD - Expert in Behaviour & Travel
Milena is an expert in behaviour-smart thinking for the travel industry. Her passion is in using the latest knowledge about human psychology to find answers to questions such as “What comes next?” and “How can we prepare for it?”. She is the author of the first book on behavioural thinking for the travel industry published by Elsevier in 2020 and the founder of a boutique consultancy supporting businesses and destinations in applying behaviour-smart innovations. Throughout her career Milena has worked on different aspects of tourism planning and management with destination authorities and industry partners across more than 30 countries.  

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The BC Hotel Association's (BCHA) March pulse check indicated that 47% of you, our industry, do not qualify for the small and medium sized business grant. You also provided significant feedback about the grant process and restrictions. BCHA has been working hard to ensure the access is streamlined and that you have the information required. The parameters for the grant eligibility have been changed several times, and therefore BCHA is hosting this webinar to ensure you can ask the questions and provide the feedback directly. 

This webinar will be an information session for the Small and Medium Sized Business Recovery and Circuit Breaker Business Relief grants. Learn more about these fully funded grant programs available to eligible businesses in BC, to ensure they have the support they need during and beyond COVID-19.

The webinar will be hosted by Liz Vickery. Liz is the Executive Director and leading the implementation of the Small and Medium Sized Business Recovery and Circuit Breaker Business Relief grants. Previously she was Executive Director with BC Stats – the first female to lead the organization in 125 years. 

The webinar will be 45 minutes in length with a 15 minute open forum for any questions. Please submit any questions you have with your registration.

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#HospitaityHustle Nears Finish Line

The 2nd annual #HospitalityHustle presented by Odlum Brown Limited is well under way. Organized by the BC Hospitality Foundation (BCHF), the event hopes to inspire hospitality workers and their supporters to get active to promote their physical and mental wellbeing. The initiative will conclude on Sunday, May 30th 2021 with a virtual “Finish Line” event including a Grand Prize draw and “social distancing dance party” hosted by a live DJ.
 
The Finish Line event is sponsored by California's Ridge Vineyards and Vintage West Wine & Spirits. It will celebrate the successes of #HospitalityHustle presented by Odlum Brown Limited participants in a fun way. Music will be provided by The TDM Sound, and the evening will include live draws for amazing Grand Prizes - learn more at: bchospitalityfoundation.com/bchf-events/hospitality-hustle
 
To win a prize at the Finish Line event, you must be registered through Eventbrite, and tune in to the event to hear your name called. There is still time to register here
 
Set an activity goal (walking 5km or dancing in your living room for half an hour) and then post your training videos on social media using #HospitalityHustle. Participants who register and post online will automatically be entered in a daily prize draw along with the Finish Line grand prizes drawn at the dance party!!
 
The BCHF thanks all #HospitalityHustle sponsors and participants. 
 
#HospitalityHustle presented by Odlum Brown Limited - “Finish Line” Event
Sunday, May 30th from 7:00 – 8:30pm
Participants MUST be registered through EventBrite in order to participate in the Finish Line and win prizes
 
Help spread the word with this suggested Social Media post: #HospitalityHustle presented by @Odlum_Brown Virtual Finish Line #Danceparty @thetdmsound May 30 at 7pm @ridgevineyards @vwwine Register bit.ly/3e4KNv2
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Stanley Park for All

The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation is launching a phased approach to transportation — bike, drive, walk, and roll — through Stanley Park in time for peak use over the spring and summer months. The interim plan features separated lanes for bikes and cars on Stanley Park Drive.

Stanley Park for All is an organizing committee comprised of several engaged and connected private citizens and groups, as well as Prospect Point Bar & Grill, Teahouse Restaurant, Stanley Park Horse-Drawn Tours, Spokes Bike Rentals, and the Sylvia Hotel. This groups seeks a comprehensive, inclusive, and consultative plan where citizens and stakeholders have input to ensure roadway changes benefit all users, not just one user group, now and into the future. Learn more here

Read the City of Vancouver May 5th update here
Read the Stanley Park for All call-to-action document here
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Moments of Levity

As an industry that continues to face enormous challenges during COVID-19, every once in a while it's important to share a laugh, a good story, a beautiful image, or an interesting anecdote to provide moments of levity during this most difficult time. Feel free to share your photos, etc. with TIABC to be published in our C-19 Bulletin each week.
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Patrick Weiler, Member of Parliament for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country is hosting a conversation on Budget 2021 with Sean Fraser, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance & Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.

Please feel free to share this event with your friends and networks, and submit any questions you would like to have answered to Patrick.Weiler@parl.gc.ca.

Town Hall with Parliamentary Secretary Sean Fraser and MP Patrick Weiler
Tuesday, May 11th at 10:00am PDT
You are also welcome to join via Zoom by clicking this link.
Zoom Passcode: 986217
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Sustainable Sunshine Coast
May 11th 2-3pm (on Zoom)

Sunshine Coast Tourism is inviting their stakeholders for an engaging and informative 1-hour presentation to learn more about the business benefits of sustainable operations.

Learn practical helpful steps to save money, conserve water, support sustainable transportation for visitors and conserve energy. Learn how Sunshine Coast Tourism will profile participating businesses in social media and local press. Get web-badges, stickers and more when you take this year’s Water Pledge. 2 local $30 gift certificates will be raffled off to participants.

Register Now at: http://bit.ly/scsustainable
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Thursday, May 27th 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm (PDT)

The Tourism Industry Association of Canada’s (TIAC) 2021 Tourism Town Hall will be in British Columbia on May 27th, in collaboration with TIABC.

Local small and medium businesses owners will have the opportunity to meet with TIAC, Destination Canada and tourism partners to better understand efforts being made on national tourism issues.  

The Town Hall will allow tourism operators to provide first-hand input on issues affecting their business and the tourism industry in this time of COVID and provide feedback on government policy for the recovery and the rebuilding of our sector.

The Town Halls also provide a front-line forum exposure for governments, TIAC, Destination Canada and event sponsors to collaborate with small and medium-sized tourism business operators.

For more information, and to register (free), please visit the event page.
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Feel free to send us your ideas on what information would be valuable for TIABC to share through our COVID-19 Bulletin going forward. Drop us a line at info@tiabc.ca.