C-19 BULLETIN - March 10, 2021

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Industry Engagement Table Sheds More Light on Government Plans

TIABC attended a (virtual) C-19 Industry Engagement Table meeting intended to provide updates to industry partners.

Updates were provided by:
  • Honourable Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation
  • Honourable Melanie Mark, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport
  • Honourable Harry Bains, Minister of Labour
  • Anne Naser, Worksafe BC President & CEO
  • Dr. Bonnie Henry, Provincial Health Officer

Upcoming holidays
With Spring Break and St. Patrick's Day on the March calendar, public awareness/prevention campaigns are in place to ensure on-going adherence to public health orders. The campaigns will focus on bars, pubs, restaurants and accommodations, including short-term rentals and will incorporate multi-channel and multi-language components.

Vaccines and Next Steps
The next 3 to 4 weeks are a critical time to keep the covid cases down so we can get back to our safe 6 and small outdoor gatherings. Vaccines are arriving and there is a chance that British Columbians could receive at least one shot by the end of June. Online booking for vaccine appointments is in progress.

Government continues to communicate that international travel is unlikely to take place this summer, while the cruise industry is likely the very last to return. TIABC continues to advocate for a restart plan that recommends government and industry work together to prepare for domestic and international visitors. The organization also continues to advocate on behalf of the cruise sector (& the entire tourism eco-system it supports) by asking the federal government to reassess its order on suspending cruise until 2022, and instead considering a review of the directive every three months.
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Province Announces Funding for Inter-city Bus Service
& Regional Airports

British Columbians will have continued access to essential transportation as a result of a new grant to support inter-city bus service and medical evacuation needs through regional airports.

“While we can see light at the end of the tunnel, the pandemic is not over, and people and businesses still need help,” said Premier John Horgan. “Today’s announcement will help protect services people rely on to commute to important appointments safely and affordably – especially for those in rural and remote communities. This funding will help operators recover from this challenging time and build back even stronger.”

The Province is providing one-time funding of up to $10.7 million for inter-city bus operators and up to $16.5 million for regional airports to support operations between April 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022. 
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BC Tourism & Hospitality Conference is Underway
Day 2 - Tuesday
Day 3 - Wednesday
The first three days of our conference are now complete and we are gearing up for the last day of sessions prior to Friday's FREE webinar day.

Get ready for Thursday's session including:
  • Consumer Sentiment - Changing the Narrative & Restoring Confidence
  • Check-in Canada - A Made in Canada Online Booking Solution
  • Executive Q&A - Destination BC 
  • Innovation and the Tourism Data Hub panel
  • Future of Tourism in a Post Pandemic World - Doug Stephens, the Retail Prophet
Thank you to all our sponsors of the 2021 BC Tourism & Hospitality Conference!
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COVID-19: Drop in number of travellers to BC described as 'precipitous'

An economic rebound is expected in BC later this year and into 2022.

Peacock was speaking on the first day of the five-day BC Tourism and Hospitality Conference held for the first time online. Peacock also presented other statistics showing the impact of the pandemic on tourism in 2020 compared to 2019: a 87% decline in overnight U.S. visitor arrivals, a 54% drop in hotel vacancy rates in Metro Vancouver, and a 45% decrease in traffic on the Coquihalla Highway.
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Rocky Mountaineer Delays Start of 2021 Season

It seems each week brings a bit more positive momentum toward tourism’s recovery. There does, however, continue to be uncertainty of when travel restrictions will be lifted and when widespread tourism will begin again. The Rocky Mountaineer team, much like you, continues to the navigate this uncertainty as best we can. As they look to the 2021 travel season ahead, Rocky Mountaineer has shared the following with its stakeholders: 
  • The inaugural season of their new U.S. route will be extended by four weeks to November 19th.  
  • The start of their Canadian rail operations will be delayed until June 1st. 
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What We Heard
Pre-Budget Consultations in West Vancouver -Sunshine Coast - Sea to Sky Country

West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky MP Patrick Weiler, chair of the Pacific Caucus for the federal government submitted a "What we Heard" report to Finance Minister Crystia Freeland recently following pre-budget consultation sessions with constituents including a Pacific Caucus session with TIABC. One section of the report focussed on tourism and produced the following recommendations:

Supporting Tourism
Located in the most beautiful region of the country, it is no surprise that tourism and the hospitality industry represent the largest employment sector in my riding. The tourism industry has been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the ensuing lockdowns and absence of any international visitors. Below are some of the key issues raised during our community consultation:
  • Our Government must provide travel incentives to Canadians to travel in Canada such as airline ticket incentives or promoting local tourism packages.
  • With a return to normalcy in domestic and international visitors not expected to be realized until 2022, our Government must continue to provide support to the tourism industry until it is able to recover.
  • Our Government can help invest in the future of the tourism industry by providing funding to expand destination development and infrastructure.
  • Our Government must help to manage the impact of the pandemic on the tourism industry by providing security for small businesses in the tourism sector and local governments that are on the frontlines of promoting tourism experiences.
  • Our Government must continue to look at the results of rapid testing pilot projects, such as the Alberta COVID-19 Border Testing Pilot Program, and integrate these into our economies to begin welcoming visitors back in a healthy and safe way while providing screening options for communities.
  • We must apply a climate lens to the tourism industry by considering long-term investments for innovative solutions to lower airline and other transportation emissions.
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Vancouver Park Board Considers Installation of Temporary Bike Lane in Stanley Park

For a second night in a row, the Vancouver Park has failed to decide on a motion to reinstate a bike lane in Stanley Park. At last night's continuation of the regular Monday night meeting, a number of other issues were discussed, including an Urban Food Forest, so the bike lane motion was moved to another meeting.
TIABC wrote to Park Board commissioners on March 5th emphasizing that moving forward with the plan to close one lane of vehicle traffic will cause further hardship for core businesses and attractions already hurting because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Reinstating barriers, eliminating hundreds of parking spots and once again reducing the number of lanes will significantly impact commercial operators and attractions that have not only invested millions of dollars in their businesses, but provided substantial revenue to the city to help offset the costs of the park’s maintenance and infrastructure improvements. 

It is only fair and prudent for the Park Board to consider any traffic management changes within Stanley Park by embarking on a considered, consultative and strategic approach. With businesses already in peril, this is neither the right time nor the right process to make any major decisions. 
Read the letter here
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WorkSafe BC Upgrades Website

WorkSafe BC has made some recent enhancements to worksafebc.com to improve access to COVID-19 information and resources.

What are the changes?
Over the past weekend, WorkSafe BC implemented the following changes to improve the experience of those looking for information on how to stay healthy and safe at work and access services during the pandemic.
 
  • The main COVID-19 landing page was redesigned to provide more visible links to key COVID-19 pages and resources, including links to key calls-to-action at the top of the page.
  • New Workers and Employers pages were created to collect COVID-related information for those audiences.
  • All industry-specific health and safety protocols, which were previously divided based on the phase of BC’s Restart Plan in which each industry reopened, have been combined into a single section.
 
What will the effect of the enhancements be?
These enhancements will lead to a more positive user experience by providing clearer and more streamlined access to key COVID-19 content. These changes were made to complement the current province-wide, multi-language campaign, which focuses on several specific actions workers and employers need to take to keep workplaces safe from COVID-19.
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On Tuesday, during the BC Tourism & Hospitality Conference, the National Hospitality & Tourism Advocacy Panel stressed the importance of ensuring MPs hear from a substantial number of people about the need for tourism industry support.

To compliment and further advance provincial and national advocacy efforts, please get involved and show your support for the industry by sending a letter to your local MP at tourismcounts.ca.

Simply enter your name, address, and send! It takes less than a minute.
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Working Group Pushes
to Save Ocean Access in Squamish 

A working group of professionals is sitting down with government officials in an attempt to save one of only two safe, accessible ocean accesses in Squamish. The volunteer group, consisting of engineers, business owners and recreation users, is a part of a growing movement –www.realignnotremove.ca.

The goal of the organization is to create a community solution in saving one of Squamish’s recreational pillars and accessible, safe ocean access for the community, while also promoting a thriving Squamish Estuary. “We are working on creative solutions that would be a win for everyone,” says Nikki Layton, Squamish Windsports Society (SWS) president, noting the group’s first meeting was Thursday. “The idea is to draft options and then present them to the community.” 

The Spit is an important part of Squamish’s community fabric, serving as a world-class recreation location, tourist attraction and an accessible outdoors area for a rapidly growing community. It is one of only two safe, accessible ocean accesses in a town whose existence is largely based on outdoor recreation.

Read the full release 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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FREE Culinary Tourism Webinars!

The Tourism Industry Association of Canada in partnership with TIABC is happy to offer free online Culinary Tourism webinars to tourism operators and organizations

Five themed webinars will assist small and medium tourism operators and partners develop culinary tourism strategies to maintain their businesses and attract both domestic international visitors once Canada is ready to welcome them again. 
Attracting Culinary Tourists Webinar 
Friday, March 12th at 9:00am PT (10am MT)
This webinar will be delivered Friday March 12th as part of the upcoming BC Tourism & Hospitality Conference – registration opening soon!

Multisensory Experience Development Webinar 
Tuesday, March 16th at 10:00am PT (11:00am MT)

Partnering For Success Webinar 
Thursday, March 18th at 9:00am PT (10:00am MT)

Growing Agritourism Webinar
Thursday, March 25th at 8:00am PT (9:00am MT)

Exceeding Expectations Webinar 
Wednesday, March 31st at 8:00am PT (9:00am MT)

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Boating BC AGM

March 24th at 11:30am
 
The meeting will be held on the Zoom Conference platform. Please register to attend in advance by clicking here. All registered Members will receive the Zoom link, agenda, financial statements from 2020, and other required documents in advance of the meeting.
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Impact Conference 2021

Please join us for an incredibly impactful 1.5 hours as we take a deeper look at the tourism recovery opportunities ahead:

  • Marsha Walden, President and CEO, Destination Canada
  • Keith Henry, President and CEO, Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada and IMPACT Co-Chair
  • Katie Briscoe, President, MMGY Global

Moderated by Paul Nursey, President and CEO, Destination Greater Victoria and IMPACT co-founder.

Wednesday March 31st
8:30am - 10:00am PT

Registration is free but all participants must register.
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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.