Drivers are being asked to avoid any unnecessary travel in BC after the severe weather incidents in recent days that led to multiple highway closures throughout the province.

TIABC wishes to acknowledge the efforts of first responders, highway crews, the Province, communities, individuals, and many others who are part of rescue efforts, provided shelter and provisions, and working to reopen roads to necessary travel.

Please reference DriveBC for the most up to date highway closures.

The devastating flooding, landslides and accessibility issues has resulted in a multitude of challenges including evacuation for many communities across Southern British Columbia. While the atmospheric river that brought severe rain to British Columbia has passed, flooding and landslides also continue to keep major highways and transportation routes closed.

Despite these unpredictable circumstances, there are heartwarming stories of members, businesses and residents opening their doors to offer emergency shelter as well as supplies and food to those in need. TIABC wishes to express our sincere appreciation and gratitude to those extending much needed support.

In addition to the challenges, this flooding emergency will have a significant impact on the supply chain and distribution as reported here.

As you are now aware, the community of Merritt has been under evacuation due to extreme weather conditions which is impacting the region and other parts of our province. TIABC, the BC Hotel Association (BCHA), Tourism Kamloops, and the Kamloops Hotel Association are currently working alongside Emergency Management BC to secure accommodation for those evacuating and unable to stay with friends and family.

In an effort to ensure that maximum accommodation is made available to those in need, we have made the decision to no longer move forward with our in-person TIABC & BCHA Annual General Meeting/s. Instead, the event will take place online only.

We sincerely apologize to those of who made plans to join us in-person, but we recognize it’s the right thing to do given the circumstances.

Please see the following links to join us for our virtual AGM which will begin Wednesday, November 17th at 1pm. We will be sharing this link in a reminder email, one hour prior to the event start on Wednesday.

LINK TO JOIN | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81710047540

REGISTRATION | If you have yet to register, you must register here to ensure you are registered to vote and receive important updates regarding this event.

AGENDA | our run of show will remain as initially planned apart from our networking and reception event which will no longer take place:

·  1pm – 2pm | TIABC AGM

·  2pm – 2:45pm | Keynote Speaker, Emile Gourieux of STR on global trends and recovery

·  3pm - 3:15pm | Remarks by Hon. Melanie Mark, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture & Sport

·  3:15pm – 4pm | BCHA AGM & Live Industry Update presentation

·  4pm – 5pm | Industry Town Hall and Q&A presented by Rising Tide Consulting

We send our thoughts and well wishes to those who may be in harms way and have been impacted by these unforeseen circumstances. We also want to thank all first responders for providing the necessary help and assisting everyone that is in need to safety at this time.

On behalf of both TIABC and BCHA, we look forward to seeing you virtually on Wednesday, November 17th.

Thank you for your understanding,

TIABC & BCHA teams

Indigenous tourism businesses will receive another financial boost to aid in pandemic recovery and foster growth through the continued partnership of the Province and Indigenous Tourism BC.

The Province initially provided $5 million to Indigenous Tourism B.C. (ITBC) to create the BC Indigenous Tourism Recovery Fund. It is now is providing an additional $3 million for a second intake.

Launched in February 2021, the fund provides grants to Indigenous tourism businesses, including lodges and resorts, restaurants, outdoor adventure experiences, galleries and gift shops owned by Indigenous people. Recipients can use the funds to keep the lights on and pay rent or employee wages. The intake opening date for the second round of the recovery grant will be announced by ITBC in the coming weeks.

“ITBC has worked hard with stakeholders and provided a support system for businesses to continue operating during the pandemic,” said Brenda Baptiste, chair, Indigenous Tourism BC and TIABC Director. “We are extremely grateful for the partnerships and work that we do with the tourism industry and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport.”

Read the full announcement here.

The federal government will announce changes to COVID-19 prevention measures at the Canadian border "very soon," Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said Tuesday.

The government has faced mounting pressure for weeks to do away with a requirement for fully vaccinated travellers into Canada to provide a negative molecular COVID-19 test.

For travellers making only a short jaunt over the border, the test can be completed in Canada before the trip takes place _ drawing even more ire from travellers and the tourism sector.

Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam has defended the test requirement in the past, saying it provides another layer of protection at the border and prevents travellers form unwittingly importing cases into Canada. But lately she has indicated a change may be in the works.

After meeting with fellow cabinet ministers Tuesday, Duclos said the government plans to make an announcement on the border in the coming days.

The test requirement for vaccinated travellers at the Canada-U.S border has drawn criticism from business leaders, mayors of border towns, members of the tourism industry and travellers themselves.

The Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable has scheduled a news conference Wednesday, November 17th with business leaders and the Canadian and American Chambers of Commerce, to again pressure the government to do away with the test requirement.

Tourism Kamloops CEO and TIABC Director Beverley DeSantis, has given the Board of Directors notice of her pending retirement effective January 1st, 2022. DeSantis has offered to continue part time at the Board’s discretion for a period to be determined to assist through the transition period should her support be required.

The Tourism Kamloops Board thanks Beverley for the incredible job she has done since assuming the role of CEO in 2016.

Beverley's tenure as Tourism Kamloops CEO has been busy and transformative. Thanks largely to her work, the city has become a well recognized and desired destination regionally and internationally. Under her leadership, a five-year strategic plan was created and executed in less than three years, the organization went through a significant rebrand, launched a new website, increased its social media and travel trade presence, implemented innovative technologies, built a passionate team of professionals, and garnered significant community support.

Beverley's notice has triggered section 27.2 of Tourism Kamloops’ Board Policy for CEO Succession, which governs the organization’s robust CEO succession selection process. Tourism Kamloops’ Board will begin the process of finding a new CEO effective immediately and expects a new leader to be in place in early 2022.

A confidential email address has been set up by the Board of Directors to manage the CEO recruitment process. All inquiries should be directed to: board@tourismkamloops.com

On behalf of of the Passenger Transportation Branch, Steven Haywood, Executive Lead, Taxi Modernization and Ride Hailing recently submitted a letter to licensees regarding ride hailing and passenger directed vehicle services. In the communication, he advised that on Thursday, October 28, Bill 21 - Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act (No. 2), 2021, received Royal Assent.

This bill amended the Passenger Transportation Act (the Act) by postponing the date by which the Legislative Assembly must appoint a special committee from January 1, 2022 to July 1, 2023.

In this case, the committee will conduct a review of the changes made to the Act in 2019 to modernize passenger directed vehicle services (e.g., taxis, limousines, small shuttle buses) and introduce transportation network services (ride hail) under the Act, as well as their impacts on the passenger transportation industry. This will include a review of the following:

The ministry has undertaken steps to help mitigate the effects of COVID-19 for passenger directed vehicle services and transportation network services, including reducing annual licensing fees for taxi/limo companies, deferring license renewals for companies who ceased operations due to the pandemic, and working with ICBC to allow insurance payments to be suspended for fleet and non-fleet customers.

Click here to read the communication in it's entirety.

I wanted to update you on some recent federal developments that will have an impact on tourism and hospitality businesses and operators.

After several years of there being no dedicated Minister of Tourism, the Prime Minister named Randy Boissonnault as the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance on October 26th. My colleagues and I are looking forward to working together with the new Minister to ensure that the industry has all the tools available to ensure they recover and are successful in the post pandemic future.

As of today, new mandates letter from the Prime Minister have not been released for newly named Ministers. I will make sure to keep you updated once these letters and priorities for the new

Parliament are released.

I am happy to announce that the new Conservative Shadow Minister for Tourism is Michelle Ferreri. Member of Parliament for Peterborough—Kawartha who is a well-known community advocate, an award-winning entrepreneur and a former journalist for TV station CHEX-DT.

I also am happy to welcome the new Conservative Deputy Shadow Minister for Tourism, Bernard Généreux, Member of Parliament for Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup who has been an relentless advocate for the tourism industry, and has served previously as the Mayor of La Pocatière.

Now, with Parliament returning, we will once again reconvene the Conservative Tourism Recovery Caucus Advisory Committee. If you are interested in appearing at an upcoming meeting, please contact my office.

The Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable recently called on the federal Government to remove the “unnecessary and non-science-based obstacles to travel, including the costly PCR test”.

Further, in line with the recommendations of the COVID-19 Testing and Screening Expert Advisory Panel, the Conservative Party of Canada also recently called on the federal government to remove the current pre-departure PCR testing requirements for fully vaccinated travelers entering Canada through land borders, in addition to harmonize with U.S. regulations on air travel and remove the pre-departure requirement for a PCR test in favour of a rapid antigen test for fully vaccinated travelers.

The federal Government is proposing to introduce legislation to replace pandemic income support programs that have now expired or lapsed.

They are proposing to change the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) to the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit where the ability to work is directly impacted by government-imposed lockdowns. This benefit would be $300 a week and strictly available to workers whose work interruption is a direct result of a government-imposed public health lockdown. It will be available until May 7, 2022, with retroactive application to October 24, 2021 should the situation warrant it.

Further, the federal Government is proposing the Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program and the Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program which if passed, would also be available until May 7, 2022.

For eligibility for the Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program a business would require an average monthly revenue reduction of at least 40% over the first 13 qualifying periods for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (12-month revenue decline), and a current-month revenue loss of at least 40%.

The Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program will include hard-hit organizations that do not qualify for the Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program and will require an average monthly revenue reduction of at least 50% over the first 13 qualifying periods for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (12-month revenue decline) and a current-month revenue loss of at least 50%.

These proposals come after many months of urging and questions from the tourism industry and businesses. While this is welcome news and the recent announcements are a step in the right direction, they come woefully late after an unnecessary election and a full five months since Parliament has convened, and still require the legislation to go through the Parliamentary process.

Blake Richards, MP can be reached here.

As many as 30 eligible British Columbians will get skills training to prepare them for jobs in the hospitality industry in the Okanagan and Shuswap regions.

This is a new Community and Employer Partnerships (CEP) project from the Government of British Columbia. Participant recruitment is focused on immigrants.

The Province is providing more than $450,000 to Okanagan College, Kelowna campus to deliver two intakes of its hospitality professional program. Participants will receive 17 weeks of occupational and employability skills training, 10 weeks of on-the-job work experience with local employers and three weeks of followup support to assist in their job search.

Courses will include computer software, marketing and sales, soft skills, COVID-19 health and safety training, human resources and management, project management and accounting. Participants will also receive certification courses in FoodSafe, Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System and Serving it Right, as well as basic accounting or hospitality service training.

Funding for this project is provided through the Project Based Labour Market Training stream of WorkBC’s CEP. CEP’s investments are targeted toward projects that support an inclusive economic recovery. CEP supports B.C. job seekers’ training and work experience leading to employment in available jobs, and aids businesses and communities in addressing labour market challenges. CEP invests $15 million annually in communities throughout B.C.

The hospitality professional program project is recruiting eligible applicants living in and around Salmon Arm, Vernon, Kelowna, Penticton and Revelstoke.

Full-time online and classroom learning for the first intake will start on Monday, Nov. 22, 2021, and project activities will run until June 17, 2022. Anyone interested in finding out more about this or other CEP projects can contact their local WorkBC centre.

Click here to read the full announcement.

Indigenous Tourism BC (ITBC), Destination BC and the Tourism Innovation Lab have partnered to launch the Indigenous Tourism BC “Spark” Program. The initiative will spark new Indigenous tourism ideas and experiences which authentically represent, celebrate, and promote Indigenous cultures, heritage, language, cuisine, and communities in British Columbia

The program works by matching selected applicants with a tourism mentor, providing a $5,000 seed grant as well as additional partner support to help develop new tourism experiences. Applications are encouraged from Indigenous entrepreneurs, small businesses, and non-profit organizations in British Columbia, from November 9 to December 17, 2021. Following a review process, five finalists will be invited to a virtual Pitch Session on January 25, 2022 where three winners will be selected.

The organizers are especially interested in new Indigenous tourism ideas that support and/or offer shoulder season activities in rural areas, opportunities for guided interpretive programs, learning and creating authentic crafts with artists, culinary experiences, and ideas that support truth and reconciliation, sustainability and/or address climate change.

Funders and supporters of the Indigenous Tourism BC “Spark” Program include Destination BC, Indigenous Tourism BC, and TD Bank Group.

Click here to learn more.

Don’t miss this fascinating panel discussion with MOSAIC and HR West facilitated by go2HR to learn more about the practical steps employers can take to embrace the principles of Equity, Inclusion and Diversity and take the essential first steps to create a more inclusive workplace.

Earlier this month, the Wilderness Tourism Association of BC (WTA) launched the #bellyup campaign, an initiative that links the fate of the wild Pacific salmon and BC's tourism industry.

If you believe that the future of BC's tourism economy depends on the health of wild salmon and the ecosystem they support, you can get involved and support the WTA in this campaign.

WTA considers this a sustainability imperative for BC's tourism industry. They ask for support from any of the 19,000+ businesses and hundreds of thousands of employees in BC's tourism and hospitality sector who share their concerns and perspective, and also from environmental and other stakeholder groups in the Pacific Northwest.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Annual General Meeting of the BC Destination Marketing Organization Association will be held at the following date, virtually via Zoom.

When: Tuesday, December 14th, 2021 from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Where: Virtual – Zoom meeting.

The meeting is called for the purposes:

• To receive the financial statements of the Association for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2020

• To approve the minutes of the September 29th, 2020 Annual General Meeting

• To elect up to seven (7) Directors

The BCDMOA Nominating Committee puts forth the following slate of Directors for the 2022-2023 term.

1. Dustin Bodnaryk, Tourism Dawson Creek 2. Allison Colthorp, Tourism Chilliwack

3. Monica Dickinson, Tourism Kamloops 4. Barrett Fisher, Tourism Whistler

5. Craig Nichols, Tourism Abbotsford 6. Chris Peters, Tourism Burnaby

7. Denise Stys-Norman, Tourism Ucluelet

The following Directors are mid-way through their term and will continue on the Board for the 2022-2023 term.

1. Gladys Atrill, Tourism Smithers

2. Blain Sepos, Parksville, Qualicum Beach Tourism

3. Nancy Small, Tourism Richmond

In accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws of the BC Destination Marketing Organization Association, additional nominations are now also open.

Nominations may be made by the Voting Members, provided that such nominations are in writing, each is signed by the Designated Representatives of two (2) Voting Members in good standing and are delivered or sent by registered mail, electronic mail or facsimile to the Secretary/Treasurer at the address of the Association together with the written consent(s) of the nominee(s) not later than the fifteenth (15) day prior to the AGM.

As per the bylaws, all nominations for Director positions therefore, must be received on or before November 29th, 2021. Please contact the Association’s Secretariat, Deborah Kulchiski for a copy of the Nomination Form.

Sincerely,

Nancy Small,

Chair, BCDMOA

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.

With the vaccine passport changing how businesses are operating, go2hr has updated BSAFE with a new module on how to handle the BC Proof of Vaccination public health order.

The new module is FREE for BC tourism and hospitality employers and employees and will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. In this module, you will learn:

Course details:

BSAFE is comprised of 6 modules that cover a variety of topics to give you a foundational understanding of COVID-19 health and safety protocols as well as tips on handling non-compliance.

To learn more or register for BSAFE, click here.

The Tourism Digital Academy is a free, 8-week digital marketing program for BC tourism businesses who are interested in building their knowledge and skills in digital marketing to an intermediate level.

Designed for business owners or their marketing team members, this comprehensive program is focused on providing practical, actionable guidance to complete your digital marketing plan. From setting your goals, to building a better understanding of SEO, website usability, content, email marketing, analytics and more.

The next intakes, which will run for 8 weeks, begin the week of January 10th & January 17th, 2022.

Cornucopia: Whistler’s Celebration of Food + Drink online auction is now LIVE. The auction will run from November 4 to 28, 2021. With the 1st section closing November 18th and the 2nd section opening on November 19 and closing on November 28th, 2021.

The BC Hospitality Foundation (BCHF) is grateful to be the Charity of Choice this year for Cornucopia: Whistler’s Celebration of Food + Drink.

To see the full list of auction items, please visit link. The items will be open for bidding in 2 lots:

Donations can be taken by using this donation link and items will be added throughout the month.

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 18-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.

Despite the ongoing challenges our industry continues to face as a result of the impacts of COVID, TIABC is heartened to observe the strength, resiliency and innovative means taking place today. This bulletin section highlights our members, new members or shares stories of how businesses and organizations, large and small are doing things in a new way as they guide their enterprises through the pandemic crisis and beyond.

Sandman Hotel Group is a Canadian hotel chain owned by Northland Properties. With the corporate headquarters based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the company currently has 47 properties across Canada under the brands Sandman Inns, Sandman Hotel & Suites, and Sandman Signature Hotels & Resorts.

In 1967, the first Sandman Inn opened in Smithers, British Columbia. The company rapidly expanded, opening at least one property every year. In 1976, a new tier of hotels was added to the company profile with Sandman Hotel Vancouver. In 2007, the Sandman Signature brand was added as a higher end brand.

Click here to learn more about the Sandman Hotel Group.

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.

How do we retain and develop women of recreation, tourism and hospitality in the worst labour crisis the industry has ever seen?

WORTH Association is inviting industry professionals to attend "Seat at the Table".

Date: Wednesday, November 17th from 9-11:30am (PT)

Attendees will create dialogue, gain broader perspectives and collaborate to develop creative solutions to challenges women face in the industry. The plan is to find answers from the community & for the community, and present these findings to key stakeholders to generate industry-wide attention and action. Researchers from Capilano University and The Sociable Scientist will be facilitating the session at the Vancouver Lookout. As an entirely volunteer-driven organization, WORTH is looking for sponsors to ensure this event is a success.

Click here to learn more about WORTH and the "Seat at the Table" opportunities.

Explore the results of BC's Collective Perspective Survey

Join BC's business community for an insightful virtual event featuring one of Canada’s most respected pollsters, Bruce Anderson of Abacus Data.

The BC Chamber of Commerce will share where businesses see cause for concern and provide insight into their longer-term vision for our economy. They will also explore trends in the BC economy and pinpoint where both start-ups and established businesses are feeling bullish.

Date: Thursday, November 18th, 4pm - 6pm (PT)

Click here to learn more and to register.

This webinar will provide tools for tourism businesses to develop and implement a sustainability management plan into their operations. Businesses will learn how to:

Date: Wednesday November 24th, 2021, 10:00am - 11:00am PST

Click here to register for this free event.

WorkBC Richmond, the BCHA, and the Richmond Public Library are pleased to connect job seekers and employers for an afternoon of engagement and networking at the Tourism and Hospitality Hiring Fair.

During this in-person, exhibition-format hiring fair, employers will have the opportunity to meet with over 200 candidates to cultivate employment interest, establish connections, and secure skilled workers.

Date and Location: Thursday, November 25 from 12:00 pm to 5:30 pm

Richmond Public Library, Brighouse Branch (100-7700 Minoru Gate)

There will be ten 25 minute time slots with a maximum of 20 job seekers per appointment time. A maximum of 10 employers will be in attendance.

For more information please contact:

The 44th Kootenay Rockies Tourism Association AGM will be taking place via ZOOM;

Date: November 23rd, 2021 2:00 - 3:00 pm (PM Mountain Time)

Agenda Items will Include:

Click here to register.

Canyon Lights will soon be returning to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park.

Dates: Saturday, November 20th, 2021k to Sunday, January 23, 2022 (closed December 25).

New this season, the world-famous bridge will be lit, end to end, with a multi-colour changing display, adding to the magic of crossing the canyon above the illuminated Capilano River.

Journey into the rainforest and walk high above the forest floor between the eight tallest Christmas trees in the world on Treetops Adventure. The mesmerizing “Arc de Lumina” light tunnel will once again wrap its way along a portion of Cliffwalk. Perfect Instagram moments galore! Enjoy live festive tunes and explore the Park in search of lit snowy owls in the popular Snowy Owl Prowl scavenger hunt.

Tickets must be purchased in advance online, with a limited quantity of tickets available in 30-minute arrival increment. Click here for more information and to book your tickets.

This year's VCM Industry Forum will be held virtually, via Zoom. VCM will be sharing the latest updates from Destination BC teams as well as featured guest speaker Carol Anne Hilton, Founder and CEO of the Indigenomics Institute.

The registration deadline for the virtual Forum is 12:00 pm on Monday, Nov. 30th. Register here for the forum and feel free to share the link with colleagues in your organization who would benefit from attending.

The informal industry networking event at Glowbal Restaurant (590 West Georgia, Vancouver) will follow later in the day from 4:00 to 6:00 PM. It is an opportunity to reconnect with industry colleagues and the VCM team in-person, over light refreshments. Space will be limited for this event and will follow the latest health and safety guidelines.

Register for the networking event here.

Mark your calendar for a virtual conference hosted by the SFI. This year’s theme, the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative and BC’s Public Fishery, will be addressed by a range of speakers from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Province of BC, the Pacific Salmon Foundation and the SFI.

Date: Thursday, December 2nd at 1:00 pm (virtual)

The annual SFI conference is well recognized as an important public fishery management and policy forum where elected officials, public servants and those in the sport fishing industry share their perspectives on trends, innovations and issues facing BC’s public fishery. Attendance and registration are free, with thanks to our sponsors as noted below.

Registration and additional information, including a detailed agenda, will be available as the date approaches.

Destination Canada is hosting its Annual Public Meeting. While 2021 has continued to present the tourism industry with obstacles and setbacks, the easing of border restrictions and new vaccine mandates have led to positive progress for Canada’s visitor economy.

Hear about the impacts of the past year, and the vision for a more competitive sector to rebuild the tourism industry, both domestically and internationally.

Date: Wednesday, December 8, 2021 - 10:00 am - 11:00 am (PT)

Click here to learn more.

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.