In the process of building new relationships and getting to know professional colleagues better, I tend to gloss over their LinkedIn or Facebook profiles and instead ask direct questions to find out something about them that others may not know. More often than not, my curiosity leads to the discovery of a common interest or topic that we talk about in subsequent encounters.

At the TIAC Congress in Ottawa earlier this month I briefly met with West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea-to-Sky Member of Parliament Patrick Weiler, who also holds down duties as the Pacific Caucus Chair of the federal Liberal Government.

While I’ve met with MP Weiler several times before, on this occasion I learned that aside from his first vocation as a lawyer, he once worked in tourism. In fact, his father owned a business in Whistler. Shazam! Notwithstanding all the tourism operators within his riding that he advocates for, MP Weiler’s early tourism work experience partially explains why he’s such a strong ally for our sector and has so keenly carried our concerns to fellow decision-makers in Ottawa since the pandemic began.

In a follow-up meeting with MP Weiler recently, I raised a number of advocacy priorities that require federal government attention, including the need to reconsider pre-departure PCR tests for fully vaccinated international visitors. Even though government is moving in the opposite direction by implementing additional testing in Canada for arriving international visitors, as well as for Canadians returning home from another country in the wake of the Omicron strain, the pre-departure test for double or triple-dosed would-be travellers to Canada is yet another obstacle that is further hampering tourism’s recovery. At the very least, we need a playbook that provides direction for industry each time a new variant surfaces...something I realize is very difficult to do but at least offers guidance to tourism operators on when and how government will respond to new and contagious COVID strains.

Among other issues, we also discussed the new federal Tourism and Hospitality Program and potentially expanding the list of eligible recipients to include some sub-sectors that haven’t received support so far, as well as to consider year-over-year revenue qualification criteria as opposed to monthly assessments which penalize operators that experience two strong months over a 12-month period yet have incurred substantial annual losses since 2020.

I also appealed to MP Weiler to look at policy levers to help accelerate working visas for students and temporary foreign workers. Furthermore, we discussed the timing and efficacy of HASCAP (Hardest Affected Sector Credit Availability Program) and talked about the skyrocketing insurance dilemma facing many operators.

Since our meeting (note...not because of our meeting), the federal government committed $85 million to clearing the backlog of immigration applicants and open up pathways for people who want to live and work in Canada…potential good news for our industry. Government also extended HASCAP from its original expiry date of December 31st, to March 31st, 2022. Importantly, Bill C-2 was also passed which provides substantial support for our industry (see details below).

MP Weiler and I committed to reconvening after Christmas with members of the Pacific Caucus to discuss solutions to some of the items I referenced, as well as other issues. At the same time, I thanked him for committing to support our industry through the aforementioned Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program (in spite of its limitations), which is so important to not only save valuable businesses and jobs but will help many idle sub-sectors recover in the months ahead.

One more thing I learned about MP Weiler when we connected in Ottawa is that, like me, he’s a long-suffering Canucks fan who candidly admits our local hockey team was also in a perpetual state of emergency this season before they changed the coach and general manager last week. Hopefully by April…when we attend a hockey game together…both the visitor economy and the boys in blue, green and white will enjoy more wins than losses.

Walt Judas

CEO, TIABC

Earlier today, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry delivered an announcement that included revised orders aimed to address the rising COVID-19 cases. This order will take effect on Monday, December 20th, and will be extended through to January 31st, 2022 at midnight.

Highlights of the extended measures include:

In addition to the provincial health orders, British Columbians are also reminded to follow the travel advisories issued by both the federal and provincial governments this week that include avoiding all travel if not fully vaccinated and to avoid non-essential travel outside of Canada.

Please note, the revised Public Health Orders containing this information have not yet been published. TIABC will ensure to publish updated orders once they are made available.

Click here to read today's announcement.

On December 15th, the Government of Canada announced the official advisory against Canadians travelling outside of the country for non-essential reasons.

In addition, effective December 18th at midnight, the travel ban for 10 African countries will be lifted.

The Government of Canada is closely monitoring the situation and working with its international partners including the World Health Organization to better understand this variant and its impacts.

For more details on the latest measures please visit the Government of Canada website.

Click here to read the official advisory from the Government of Canada

On December 15th, Premier John Horgan issued the following statement following the federal travel advisory:

Read the announcement here.

As announced by Transportation Minister Rob Fleming on December 15th, the Coquihalla Highway (Hwy. 5) is set to reopen on Monday, December 20th, which is well ahead of the previously announced timeline.

The reopening, will happen by the end of that day, however, will be for commercial vehicles and inter-city buses only with reduced speeds in place to ensure driver safety. When the Coquihalla reopens to essential traffic, it will not be the same highway as before and travel will take longer the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure advises.

Government has also advised against travel as normal at this time, citing road conditions and rising COVID-19 cases. The reopening of Highway 5 will allow the province to remove the essential designation from Highway 3 and 99.

While the work is ongoing to repair the damage done, we can still travel to connect with family and enjoy winter recreation if we plan ahead and prepare for situations that can shift rapidly. Many of us are eager to travel and see family and friends this winter.

Travellers are reminded to visit the DriveBC website for updates on BC road conditions and advisories.

Reporter: Minister Fleming, I'm trying to get a better sense of what Highway 3 is going to look like. What are you going to be looking at over those 24 hours, once the Coquihalla reopens? And what sort of travel? Is this a message to anyone to say, 'Okay, now you can get on the 3 and travel to and from the Interior from Metro Vancouver'? Is there any additional guidance around that?

Fleming: As I mentioned, one of the reasons why we'll stagger the lifting of essential travel restrictions on the No. 3 about 24 hours after we open up the No. 5 is to give the trucking industry and various routes and deliveries that they've booked a period of time to migrate back to the No. 5, because we want the 5 to be the overwhelming commercial truck route for the province. It will be much faster for them, more direct. That's where drivers want to be.

So I expect the industry.... And we've already communicated with the BC Trucking Association and others in the industry that this is our plan going forward. But just making sure that immediately we don't have the mixing of large commercial semis with passenger vehicles on day one. So we'll give a day's adjustment period there, and also just do additional inspections on the road. We're going to have enhanced RCMP enforcement and checkpoints on both the Highway 3 and the 5, so mobilizing additional resources as well.

My advice, thought, to the travelling public is, while this is good news in terms of mobility, we need to be mindful of a number of things. I talked about Highway 3 being a tough highway to traverse for passenger vehicles in winter conditions. It's steep. It's windy. There's work crews out there. And we hope that the volumes are not excessive. And we hope that British Columbians, and we expect British Columbians, because we've been in this pandemic now for more than 18 months.... While there's no essential travel restrictions as it relates to the pandemic at this point, people have to be paying attention to public health advice a lot, holiday gatherings in the fourth wave, and not travelling if not needed to. I know a number of people have already adjusted their travel plans because of the storm event and the restricted access to our highways. You should maybe stick to the plans you've had to make since November 15, when the province changed in that regard. And as I said, pay attention to public health advice that's coming on a daily basis as the omicron variant is appearing in clusters in different parts of the province.

Reporter: Minister, I think you alluded to this. I know commercial trucks and essential vehicles will be making their decisions. But will commercial vehicles still be allowed to go on both the Coquihalla or Highway 3 once the Coquihalla is reopened? Or will the advice be to send everything on the Coquihalla commercially and not on Hwy 3?

Minister Fleming: Yes, trucks will still be able to use the 3, because there are a number of communities where they're making deliveries there. But the No. 3 typically experiences a significantly vastly lower volume of commercial trucks than the No. 5. So if we've been experiencing a total flow of about 3,000 trucks on the No. 3, I would expect perhaps 85%, 90% of that to use the Coquihalla. That's certainly what the trucking industry is expecting. So you'll see it go from 3,000 a day to perhaps just a couple hundred on the Hope-Princeton highway.

Reporter: I'm just wondering about the timeline for Hwy 1 through the Fraser Canyon. You said it's still mid-January. Could we see that work move along quickly, like the Coquihalla? Is there a possibility that it could be open earlier than that?

Minister Fleming: That's the timeline we have right now. That hasn't changed. We have got a lot of work crews there. It's very similar to the Coquihalla effort. Damage is very extensive as well. Twelve sites are sort of remediated or side routes are available to connect. But the route is not likely, from one end of it to the other through the Fraser Canyon, to be able to be continuous until mid-January. There's about five active sites, 12 completed or near completed; five active sites that need to be worked on in the next few weeks to get us to mid-January.

Reporter: I just wanted to double check that when the Coquihalla does open, potentially will there be, first of all, potential road blocks keeping non-essential vehicles away? And also, I guess, it will be at Merritt and at Hope really. And also, how confident are you, perhaps, in the repairs that have been done once they see that volume of traffic that you mentioned? Will they be able to hold up, given how notorious the Coq is in winter months?

Minister Fleming: You're exactly right. There will be checkpoints at both the Hope and Merritt ends to the Coquihalla to make sure that it's for essential purposes only, that the orders are being enforced. We'll have CVSE enhanced enforcement. There'll be a big ministry presence on the Highway 5 corridor and the Highway 3 corridor. We will have enhanced road maintenance contractors as well, plowing and making sure that the conditions on the road are cleared up when we have weather events.

Reporter: Minister Fleming, with Highway 3 reopening to all traffic next week, hopefully, what is the message you're sending to people who want to travel within BC for the holidays?

Minister Fleming: The message is think very carefully about that for two reasons. These highways have been damaged. We're in winter conditions, which are tough driving conditions on their own. Highway 3 is a route most people are not terribly familiar with. It's steep. It's windy. You should have a good vehicle and you should be experienced driving in winter conditions. You should pack food, emergency blankets. Have your cell phone charged if you're going to do that. But also look at some alternatives too. The regional airlines, the national airlines have added significant amounts of flights. They've brought in price caps. I'm aware that WestJet and Air Canada have, perhaps, others, which is good.

The inner-city bus operators are back up and running. There's three of them on the Number 3. I suspect most of them will prefer the Number 5 because it will be much faster. That's an affordable mode of travel from the Interior to the Lower Mainland. Pay attention to all the companies that are going to be operating there. They'll have schedule and fees available.

While the work is ongoing to repair the damage done to BC's roads and highways, we can still travel to connect with family and enjoy winter recreation if we plan ahead and prepare for situations that can shift rapidly.

To help industry navigate winter travel questions among the latest entry requirements and road closures, Destination BC has created a new Winter Travel Guide. The document provides key messaging, information and infographics, and resources for BC’s tourism industry as it relates to travel to and within BC this Winter. Topics include travel routes, trip planning, transportation, visitor servicing, health protocols, entry requirements, and proof of vaccination requirements for various activities and businesses. The document will be updated as needed, as the situation evolves.

TIABC, the BC Hotel Association, BC Regional Tourism Secretariat, Indigenous Tourism BC, and Canada West Ski Areas Association have created the Resident Winter Travel and Recreation Toolkit, designed as a guide for operators with the information needed by the public to plan travel in British Columbia this winter. Operators can share this document, include the information in their communications, and provide links on their website.

British Columbians have faced unprecedented challenges from severe weather and flooding that have impacted the normal ability to travel between the Lower Mainland and the rest of the province.

This toolkit has been developed by several sector association and marketing partners as a guide for operators to share with visitors who plan to travel in British Columbia this winter.

As things evolve, TIABC and our partners will do our best to keep industry informed by updating this toolkit, as well as the links to critical information that should reflect changes to travel information.

PreparedBC has additional resources and step-by-step guides to prepare tourism businesses and their staff for emergencies, with templates and tools to help operators easily plan a fast and effective response.

Yesterday, Bill C-2...an Act to provide further support for tourism businesses was passed by both the House of Commons and the Senate.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, TIAC, along with its provincial counterparts that include TIABC, have been advocating for sector specific support. As Co-Chair of the Coalition of Hardest Hit Businesses, TIAC has been fighting to see this support become a reality, and are so pleased to say that the Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program and Hardest Hit Business Recovery Program will receive royal assent today.

Now that this new legislation has been passed by Parliament and the Senate, we hope that it will have a positive impact on your businesses and employees. We know many operators are now struggling with having to meet their payroll and rent obligations amid crippling revenue losses, exhausted financial reserves, and substantial debt. The financial resources made available through the Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program and the Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program will help the industry’s recovery from the devastating impact of the pandemic, especially over the coming winter months until higher tourism levels are expected to return in the spring.

There are many questions still to be answered and challenges to overcome, including the date support will become available and solutions for seasonal businesses, but this is a big win for the industry. NOTE - TIABC is aware of some of the limitations vis-a-vis qualification criteria and is actively lobbying government to change the criteria to accommodate additional businesses significantly impacted by the pandemic.

We know that there is much confusion right now regarding the new variant and the changing travel rules and restrictions. The biggest priority through this is clarity for the industry and ensuring we advocate for one, pan-Canadian process. We know that the future seems uncertain, but we hope this brings some comfort.

TIAC, along with TIABC is thankful for the broad-based support the sector has received by all Members in the House Commons and Senate.

The Coalition of the Hardest Hit Businesses welcomes the passing of Bill C-2, An Act to provide further support in response to COVID-19.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the travel and tourism sector has been devastated by border closures, travel bans, and the loss of international and domestic travellers. A survey of Coalition members earlier in the year found that up to 60% did not expect to make it through the winter without extended government support. This support could not come at a more important time as Coalition members in travel, hospitality and major events face new challenges and setbacks as a result of the Omicron variant.

“Our members and employees need this program to survive as the pandemic challenges continue into next year,” said Beth Potter, President and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) and Co-Chair of the Coalition of the Hardest Hit Businesses.

Read the full news release here.

On December 14th, the Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, delivered an economic and fiscal update, providing a current snapshot of federal finances and the government's spending plans for the coming months.

While the update provides an optimistic outlook for COVID-19 recovery, there remains a number of ongoing challenges and emerging concerns for the industry. The following is a summary of what it means today.

The update also reinforced the federal government's plans to implement the following measures outlined in Bill C-2:

As reported in an earlier bulletin, effective January 1st, 2022, the Employment Standards Act will institute a new, permanent paid sick leave entitlement, providing up to 5 paid days and 3 unpaid days of job-protected leave each year for eligible employees.

To further support the need for additional information on the soon to be implemented paid sick leave, ABLE BC, in cooperation with Ryan Anderson and Eric Kroshus of the Mathews Dinsdale law firm, have provided a valuable article to help answer employer questions.

Tourism Relief Fund: Program funding to empower tourism operators to create new or enhance existing tourism experiences to attract more local and domestic visitors and helping the sector reposition itself to welcome international visitors by offering the best Canadian tourism experience we have to offer the world.

Canadian Emergency Rent Subsidy: Subsidy of up to 75% of eligible expenses until October 23, 2021. Also includes an additional Lockdown Support of 25% if your business was significantly affected by a public health order. Applications to this program can happen retroactively back 6 months. Hotline: 1-800-959-5525 An extension to May 7, 2022 is currently proposed and still pending decision.

Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program: Aimed at sectors like tourism and hospitality, hotels, arts and entertainment, and will offer 100% government-guaranteed financing and provide low-interest loans up to $1 million for up to ten years. Available until December 31, 2021.

Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy: Covers part of your employee wages retroactively back to December 20, 2020 until October 23, 2021. The maximum subsidy is 75%. Hotline: 1-800-959-5525 An extension to May 7, 2022 is proposed and still pending decision.

Canada Recovery Hiring Program (CRHP): The new Canada Recovery Hiring Program (CRHP) is designed to encourage businesses to grow as the economy recovers, whether it’s due to hiring and re-hiring staff, increasing shifts, or increasing overall pay. This program has a proposed extension to May 7, 2022.

Note: Your business can only claim the CEWS OR CRHP - here is a comparison between the two programs

Canada Recovery Benefit: The Canada Response Benefit ended October 23, 2021. Claims can be made up to December 22, 2021. The government has proposed a new Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit that would provide $300 for eligible workers who are unable to work due to a temporary local lockdown anytime between Oct 24, 2021 and May 7, 2022. Further details on this proposed benefit will be released in the near future. Hotline: 1-833-966-2099

We have received a great number of impressive session submissions so far, but we also have been hearing that an extension would be appreciated.

It’s a really busy time of year, and we recognize that.

We would like to give you the gift of time by extending the submission deadline to 5:00pm PT Thursday, January 6th, 2022. Thank you to everyone who has submitted a proposal - we appreciate your efforts and interest. For those of you who haven’t yet submitted, we encourage you to do so!

The 2022 conference theme of Kickstarting the Comeback will be explored through the following session themes:

Workforce & HR

Sustainability

Technology & Innovation

Trends & Insights

Marketing

Innovation

Advocacy

Hotel-Specific Content

The 2022 BC Tourism & Hospitality Awards will be awarded at the Awards Gala evening during the 2022 BC Tourism and Hospitality Conference on Thursday, March 10, 2022, at the Richmond Conference Centre.

Indigenous Operator

Sustainability

Accessibility

Employees First

Business Woman of the Year

Hotelier of the Year

Innovation

Community Contribution & Impact

Professional Excellence

For more information about each award click here.

The deadline to submit a nomination is January 14th, 2022.

If you know a business, organization, or individual who is deserving of a nomination, please submit your nomination below.

We are also accepting donations for the 2022 BC Tourism & Hospitality Silent Auction which will be held in conjunction with the 2022 Conference and Awards Gala. If you are interested in donating an item, please contact us.

Email us at info@bctourismandhospitalityconference.com.

Destination BC summarizes weekly travel in BC in a one-page snapshot. Key insights are available on a weekly basis and include current week performance and, where applicable, comparison to the previous week and the same week in 2020 and 2019. Performance is captured in the following areas:

BC Domestic Visitation

Click here to review the latest report.

In light of today’s announcement by the PHO restricting capacity limits in venues of 1,000 individuals or more to a maximum capacity of 50%, the Board of Directors of Boating BC announced they have made the unfortunate decision to cancel the 2022 Vancouver Boat Show. The in-person show was scheduled for February 9-13, 2022.

The Vancouver International Boat Show is a significant contributor to the $1.25 billion in annual economic impact the industry generates in British Columbia.

To learn more about Boating BC, visit here.

COVID-19 testing will be available right in Sun Peaks Resort. Access to COVID-19 testing in Sun Peaks will help to protect those who live, work, and play on the mountain and alleviate the need to travel to Kamloops for testing.

There will be two separate testing procedures - one for symptomatic residents, guests, and employees who may have come in contact with COVID-19 and one for travellers seeking confirmation of a negative test to fulfill travel requirements.

Click here for more information.

Please support our BC hospitality and tourism community by purchasing tickets to a Holiday 50/50 Lottery benefiting the BC Hospitality Foundation (BCHF).

This licensed lottery is being promoted ONLY in our local hospitality and tourism community, so someone in or related to our industry will be the big winner!

Help Industry Workers in their Time of Need. Purchase Tickets Here Today.

Ticket Package Options:

5 for $10

20 for $20

150 for $40

We are grateful that the BCHF receives funds from a variety of corporate initiatives initiated by our friends and colleagues in the hospitality industry, including partial proceeds from product sales. Please support our supporters by choosing to purchase their products, and help boost the BC economy at the same time!

Shop with our supporters here.

As an industry that continues to face enormous challenges during COVID-19, every once in awhile 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.

Due to the difficulties our industry has faced since early 2020, we have extended various payment options to members if required. Please contact Deborah to learn more about how we can assist you with your membership renewal, or if you are interested in becoming a member

We strongly encourage you to consider membership with TIABC to support our important advocacy efforts on behalf of the entire visitor economy.

There is no better example of what TIABC has done for you than in the last 20-months. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic TIABC has identified your concerns, raised your voice, championed your needs, pushing for support and programs while encouraging policy changes.

We thank you for your investment in our advocacy efforts. Our success depends on you.

As we are all aware, communities in BC continue to be affected by the recent devastating floods and extreme weather.

Following their 35,000 can deliver in Merritt last week, the Labatt team and Team Rubicon Canada distributed 19,000 cans of clean drinking water to the town of Princeton to support the 4000+ residents in the community and surrounding areas. This marks Labatt's 16th Disaster Relief activation since 2013.

They continue to monitor the situation closely and will be ready to lend a hand in the best way they know how. TIABC extends an enormous amount of thanks to the BC Labatt's team for their hard work, dedication and compassion.

Destination BC has partnered with Small Business BC to offer free access for tourism business stakeholders across the province to online education supporting COVID-19 recovery.

Upcoming webinars include:

Social Media for Small Business, Date: January 12th, 2022

Get Started with Email Marketing, Date: February 2nd 2022

To access the webinars free of charge, register online here using coupon code DBC3034.

Join GreenStep Solutions for this informative webinar to learn about the technical side of carbon measurement. We will also cover carbon reduction tactics and how to offset what you can’t reduce.

By 2030 the price of carbon will increase fossil fuel-related operating costs by 30% to 100%, not including cost increases related to inflation. To get ahead of the carbon risk to your business, it will be important to understand your carbon footprint and make a plan to reduce it.

Measuring your carbon footprint is actually not that complicated, and similar to financial accounting standards, greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting standards exist.

Date: Jan 13th, 2022 10am-11am PST / 1pm - 2pm EST

To register for FREE, please visit here.

If you have any questions related to the event or have any issues with registration, please do not hesitate to contact us. There will be additional time following the presentation for questions, which you may also submit in advance by way of the registration page.

Export Navigator is offering a great seminar to kick off 2022 – Preparing for Travel & Tradeshows, that has understandably been on hiatus for the past while!

Date: Friday, January 21, 2022 @ 9:30 – 11:00 am

Join in for this FREE interactive webinar and learn everything you need to know about trade show preparation. From promoting your attendance at the trade show to creating an eye-catching booth, there are many factors that play a part in ensuring a successful experience. They will also cover upcoming BC and Canadian pavilions at trade shows around the world, and the funding that can take you there!

Learning Points:

• Learn how to prepare for a trade show, including travel and budgeting tips

• Find out how to develop trade show leads and have more successful interactions

• Learn about upcoming BC and Canadian pavilions at trade shows around the world

• Discover key etiquette and culture tips for doing business cross-culturally

Click here for more information and to register.

Join TIABC and the BC Hotel Association for the 2022 BC Tourism & Hospitality Conference as we 'Kickstart the Comeback' and gather in-person to learn, tackle issues, forge new relationships, and work toward resiliency in the face of one of the hardest years in our sector's history.

When | March 9-11, 2022

Where | Richmond Conference Centre

This year's conference will bring together hundreds of tourism owner/operators, hoteliers, destination marketing and management professionals, educators, government representatives, industry sectors, and other stakeholders representing all regions of British Columbia.

At the 2022 BCTHC, you can be part of an incredible opportunity to collaborate, share stories of success and resilience, acquire new research and best practices, be inspired for creative new projects and initiatives, and build bold ideas that will help kickstart the comeback of BC’s tourism industry.

Hotel booking and travel details will be made available before the end of 2021.

Registration is set to open in early January 2022.

Visit here for more details including how to become a sponsor of the BCTHC!

Email us at info@bctourismandhospitalityconference.com

Have you started thinking about your summer hiring needs? Canada Summer Jobs supports non-profits, small businesses (50 or fewer employees), and public sector employers to provide quality summer work experiences for youth aged 15 to 30 years old.

Service Canada’s Canada Summer Jobs program is an initiative of the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy which aims to provide quality work experiences for youth to develop skills and gain paid work experience to successfully transition into the labour market.

Date: January 12th at 1:00 pm (PT)

Talent MATCH has partnered with Service Canada to bring you this free info session featuring Canada Summer Jobs representatives Line Noel and Melanie Greene, who will explain how the program works and how to apply. Note that the Call for Applications for the Canada Summer Jobs will open soon and close in late January, 2022.

The Talent MATCH Program is a collaboration between the BC Alliance for Arts + Culture, the BC Museums Association, go2HR, and the Association for Co-operative Education & Work Integrated Learning BC/Yukon.

This info session is free, but you must register for it here.

When: Thursday January 13th, 2022

Presentations: 1:00pm - 3:00pm

Business Meeting: 3:15pm - 4:15pm

Where: Virtual, Zoom

Join us as we share recent WTA accomplishments and areas of focus for the new year. We are pleased to be joined by Walt Judas, CEO of TIABC, and Krista Bax, CEO of go2HR, who will guide us in imagining what's next for British Columbia's tourism industry. The afternoon will unfold as follows:

1:00 - 1:30pm Opening Remarks & WTA Accomplishments - Breanne Quesnel

1:30 - 2:00pm Rebooting BC’s Visitor Economy - Walt Judas, CEO of TIABC

2:00 - 2:30pm WTA Marketing Direction - Jessica Fremlin

2:30 - 3:00pm Staffing & Retention Challenges - Krista Bax, CEO of go2HR

3:00 - 3:15pm Break

3:15 - 4:15pm Business Meeting, President’s Report, Executive Director’s Report, Treasurer’s Report, Board Elections

Click here to register for the event. Upon registration, you will be sent a Zoom meeting link.

The Tourism Industry Association of Canada's (TIAC) Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held Wednesday, January 19, 2022 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET virtually – please note details for the virtual call will be sent shortly.

To access the proxy vote or nomination form, click on the following:

These documents and the link to register to the AGM require you to log in to your membership account with TIAC.

If you have forgotten your login information to access benefits or renew your membership, click here and input your email address and check your inbox.

The Vancouver, Coast & Mountains team, managed by Destination BC, is collaborating with The Forum, to create a tourism program tailored specifically for women-led businesses and entrepreneurs.

The two-day virtual program will provide expertise and resources to support women in tourism, delivered by The Forum and other subject matters experts in January 2022.

The Forum is a BC-based national charity whose mission is to provide self-identified women entrepreneurs with the resources and community they need to succeed in business.

The free, application-based virtual program will take place over two days on January 13 and 20, 2022.

Applications will be accepted until December 15, 2021 at 4:00pm PST or until all available spots have been filled. You are advised to apply early as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Learn more in the Applicant Information Package and Apply Here. 

The dream to create a legacy for sustainable and regenerative tourism in Canada is stronger than ever, and we need your voices! Join in on a national conversation on sustainable tourism, as delegates and speakers explore and compare models for tourism recovery. Hear from some of the most creative and innovative experts in the business and address our new reality of higher expectations, for and of visitors.

Date: January 23 - 26, 2022, Victoria, BC

Click here to learn more and to register.

RVC+ is going hybrid in 2022! The new format will bring back in-person attendance, while also incorporating a virtual component, creating opportunities for more of industry to engage and make appointments with international buyers, travel trade media and Destination Marketing Companies.

The in-person portion of RVC+ will be a buyer-seated marketplace in Toronto, Ontario. This will be Canada’s RVC and hosted by Destination Canada and TIAC, creating an exciting opportunity to welcome international buyers back to Canada and showcase the beauty of this country, as well as the meaningful travel experiences offered across each province and territory.

Dates: May 24th - 27th, 2022

Learn more about Rendezvous Canada 2022 here.

TIAC launched its Elevating Canadian Experience (ECE) program to provide tourism stakeholders with free learning resources in culinary tourism and tools for the winter/shoulder seasons.

The ECE program provides content ranging from strategy development to practical tools and tips - all designed to help grow and adapt your tourism business as an operator and build tourism capacity in your region as a destination partner.

The latest module "Embracing Canada’s Winter and Shoulder Season" has been developed to assist tourism operators and destination partners in broadening the shoulders of your tourism season and provides valuable insights, worksheets, tips and strategies.

Click here to learn more and to download the Toolkit.