C-19 BULLETIN - October 28, 2020

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Tourism Task Force Report
The Future of Travel: Positioning BC to Accelerate Recovery and Growth

On September 18th, the BC Government appointed 11 business and industry leaders to a Tourism Task Force, focused on identifying actions to help support BC’s tourism businesses and workers impacted  by the global COVID-19 pandemic and put the sector on a path to sustainable recovery and growth.

Government has allocated $50 million to implement actions that arise from the task force’s final report, due on December 31st. Recommendations will focus on strategies and actions to help address short-term challenges through the 2021 tourism season, while also considering what changes could be made to enhance British Columbia’s long-term competitiveness. 

Tourism Task Force members met regularly in October to gather information to help inform their deliberations. This included assessing BC’s competitive position prior to COVID-19 and reviewing estimates of the pandemic’s impact on the sector over the short term. In 2018, British Columbia’s tourism sector was outpacing growth in the provincial economy, with increasing revenues, employment, wages and number of visitors. As we all know, BC’s visitor economy has been hit hard by the pandemic, and Destination BC estimated in May 2020 that the province’s $21.5 billion annual tourism industry could see a reduction down to $6.7 billion in 2020.

The Task Force also sought to gain an understanding of how countries and regions have approached their support of tourism.  Jurisdictions around the world have taken varying approaches to dealing with the fallout of the pandemic on their visitor economies, with different strategies for helping the many businesses and workers who rely on it for their livelihoods. Members also analyzed existing research and information compiled from industry groups and sector associations throughout the pandemic, to identify any gaps that remain in supports provided to date by the B.C. and Canadian governments. 

The Tourism Task Force will now focus on engaging with select stakeholders that broadly represent key sectors of the industry in a series of focused roundtable discussions through November. Task Force members recognize how deeply the tourism sector has been impacted and the urgent need for support, and that is why the Task Force will prioritize roundtable discussions on topics where they have specifically identified a need for further information. Task Force members, including TIABC's Walt Judas, are committed to keeping industry informed as their work progresses towards the final report in December. 
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TIABC and Partners Offer Recommendations to Government on Changes to Criteria for the Small And Medium-sized Business Recovery Grant

TIABC, BCHA, ABLE BC and Restaurants Canada recently sent a brief to the Province with several recommendations on how to amend the criteria for tourism and hospitality businesses to qualify for the Small and Medium-Sized Business Recovery Grant.

The letter points out several criteria that make it difficult for many tourism and hospitality businesses to complete the application and be considered for grants. For example:

Criteria: Employs between two and 149 people in for BC for at least four months of the calendar year. 

This requirement excludes a significant number of tourism businesses, including sole proprietors and those that hire contractors to perform services (e.g. guide outfitters). 

Read the full October 16th letter here or visit TIABC's website:
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Federal Government Update

On Monday, the federal government announced changes to Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) to make it easier for small businesses operating out of personal accounts to access emergency funding. Please find details here ceba-cuec.ca.
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BC's State of Emergency Extended

The Province of British Columbia has formally extended the provincial State of Emergency, allowing health and emergency management officials to continue to use extraordinary powers under the Emergency Program Act to support the Province's COVID-19 pandemic response.

The State of Emergency is extended through the end of the day on November 10th to allow staff to continue to take the necessary actions to keep British Columbians safe and manage immediate concerns and COVID-19 outbreaks.
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Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) Update

Last week, TIAC’s Vice-President, Stakeholder Relations & Business Development held a meeting with policy makers in the Prime Minister’s Office to discuss the sector’s needs over the next few months.

TIAC's Vice-President, Stakeholder Relations & Business Development also participated in a meeting with the Associate Deputy Minister of Innovation Science and Economic Development (ISED) to discuss the ongoing state of the industry.
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State of Canada's Tourism Industry

Statistics Canada has released a new report on the impact of COVID-19 Travel Restrictions on the Canadian Economy.

The estimated economic impact of travel restrictions is significant and varies across different scenarios. In the optimistic first scenario, where domestic travel restrictions are lifted in early July and international travel restrictions are lifted by early September, the travel restrictions could result in a GDP loss of $16.3 billion to the tourism industry and $9.6 billion to other industries, for a total of almost $26 billion, or 1.2% of total real GDP in 2019. When the timeline for lifting the travel restrictions is further delayed, the estimated economic impact gets larger. In the fifth scenario, the most pessimistic scenario considered, the total impact from the travel restrictions could reach $37 billion, about 1.7% of total real GDP in 2019.

The impact on employment is also significant. Depending on the scenario considered, the total
number of jobs impacted by travel restrictions could range from about 383,000 to 549,000, or
about 2.0% to 2.9% of total employment in 2019.

These estimates are largely in line with the findings of Destination Canada (2020d), whose worst case- scenario estimates are within the range of the estimates from the five scenarios in this
analysis.
Download the full report here.
Destination Canada has released a new COVID-19 State of the Industry report, further outlining the impact on Tourism and the Canadian Economy.

  • Destination Canada’s July forecast shows that if borders remain closed until the end of 2020, there will be a 61% drop in revenues in 2020. We also shouldn’t expect to see recovery to 2019 levels until 2024. That would be a catastrophic loss for our economy.
  • Based on employment from June 2020, Canada has already lost 47% of jobs from the visitor economy. This is a loss of 354,000 jobs across Canada. Without significant intervention, more jobs will be lost.
  • Tourism revenues are uniquely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The summer season (Jul–Sep) represents the core revenue generator for the industry, and has been devastated due to travel restrictions, quarantines, and social distancing.
  • Most Canadians feel safe to travel within their own province, but Alberta is the only province where the majority feel safe to other parts of Canada. Canada’s internal travel restrictions are likely contributing factors to perceptions of safety.
Download the full report here
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Keeping Tourism in the News

Tourism Vancouver Island Turns Focus to Pandemic Recovery
Tourism insiders say programs have continued to work through the election campaign, though Walt Judas of the Tourism Industry Association of BC said without a minister there has been some delay in decision making.

Judas said while money has been allocated – the industry was to receive more than $100 million in funding announced in September — it hasn’t necessarily started to flow.

“We always anticipated it would take time regardless of an election,” he said.
“We have certainly got the attention of governments at all levels over the plight of the industry … but as we have suggested it is only a start,” he said. “Our priority now is to work with government to ensure that further assistance is provided.”
Aside from four other CBC radio interviews around the province this morning, Walt Judas joined Stephen Quinn on CBC's Early Edition about the pandemic's impact on tourism and finding a solution to closed borders.
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Insights into the Future of Business Events in Canada

Between August 4th and 24th, Destination Canada conducted a series of online surveys targeting international (US and other countries) event organizers in the association, corporate, and incentive market segments, resulting in an updated Business Events Planner Pulse Check. The objective was to update insights gained from focus groups conducted in May and look for signs of industry recovery. 188 survey responses were received.

Some key highlights:

  • Uncertainty remains, planners beginning to consider the future

  • Canada is considered a destination of choice by 63% of planners researching destinations

  • Over 90% of respondents have either booked incentive programs in Canada or are considering doing so in the future

  • 25% of respondents indicated they are relocating events confirmed for regions out of North America to destinations in North America; 73% of those same respondents are open to considering Canada for these events

Canada remains a fan favourite: Canada ranks highly as a destination of choice by more than 93% of respondents. When it comes to future years, the majority of planners (70%) are comfortable with looking at international locations, with 86% of those planners open to considering Canada.

Download the full report here
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COVID-19 Meetings & Incentive Travel Industry Intelligence

There is a wealth of third-party research and commentary being published as our industry regroups to recover from COVID-19.* Destination Canada researchers are compiling a compendium of the latest MICE industry intelligence spanning the corporate, association and incentive marketplace to ensure we are best-placed to support Canada in its recovery.

Highlights from the most recent edition include:
  • The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) wants to trial a pilot scheme with COVID-19 based testing at the airport, followed by a second test a few days later to enable travel between major financial hubs.
  • In the October 2020 Northstar Meetings Group survey we learnt that Planners’ primary focus remains rescheduling events (36%) and given the option, nearly one-third report they are not currently planning live events. Research also shows that Q3 2021 is when planners begin expect to get back to in-person events. Read more here.
  • There has been a significant jump in confidence for travel safety by the Domestic Travel Safety Barometer (US)
  • 75% of travelers said they would travel by car in the next 6 months
  • 35% of people said they would take a domestic business trip in the next 6 months
  • SKIFT’s Virtual Event Tech Day asked the question:  What will events look like after the vaccine rolls out? The article includes top factors for feeling safe at events, primarily:
  • 51% COVID-19 vaccine
  • 12% Government permission
  • 10% COVID-19 therapy

*Destination Canada does not endorse or validate third-party research.

Please note that the Destination Canada Business Events COVID-19 resources landing page has recently been updated to include resources to planners.
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Locals Continue to Value Tourism
in Kelowna

At the beginning of October, Tourism Kelowna conducted its second general resident sentiment survey, a benchmarking measure that the organization is committed to undertaking yearly. This annual survey measures residents' year-over-year perceptions of the tourism industry in general and the impact it has on their quality of life, differentiating it from the previous two resident surveys they completed this year related to COVID-19.

The survey indicates that almost 95% of decided Kelowna and Central Okanagan residents consider tourism to be a vitally important industry and over three-quarters of decided residents recognize the value that Tourism Kelowna offers as an organization and the impact it has on them.
Eight of the nine questions posed in the survey had very similar results to last year, with a maximum variance of 3.5%. The largest shift in sentiment was seen in a question regarding the type of visitor that Kelowna is currently attracting, which saw a 16-point drop from last year, from 74.1% to 57.8%. Tourism Kelowna believes this change can be attributed to views on welcoming visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other results of interest are:
  • 60% of decided residents believe tourism in Kelowna is a contributing factor to a general increase in their quality of life.
  • 87% find that sustainable and responsible tourism development is important.
  • 84% indicated that the tourism industry provides good employment opportunities.
  • 78% believe that money spent to attract tourism to Kelowna is a good investment.
  • 64% felt that Kelowna has sufficient attractions and infrastructure to be a desirable tourism destination in the future.
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Francine Douglas Announced as Vancouver, Coast and Mountains Indigenous Tourism Specialist

In partnership with Indigenous Tourism BC (ITBC), Vancouver, Coast and Mountains (VCM), managed under Destination BC, is delighted to announce that Francine Douglas will be joining the ITBC team as the VCM Indigenous Tourism Specialist. Francine will collaborate with Indigenous communities and industry partners to support the advancement of Indigenous tourism by providing responsive and respectful regional-specific programs, services, and projects identified in VCM, with a focus on experience development and destination development.

Francine Douglas is Stó:lō (Sts’ailes) and Tsimpshian (Metlakatla). Francine values the cultural teachings she learns from her family, including knowing who you are and where you come from. Francine holds a BA in psychology and anthropology from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and was the proud valedictorian of the UBC Sauder School of Business Aboriginal Business Management Program. She served Sto:lo Nation as coordinator of tourism, communications, and event programs and has more than ten years of business experience in the Stó:lō territory. Francine believes that Indigenous tourism is an opportunity to learn, share, and practice xwelmexw values.
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Visitor Centres in Vancouver, Coast & Mountains Pivot Operations

Despite 2020 being a challenging year for tourism across BC, the 24 visitor centres in the VCM region still managed to serve over 89,000 visitors through face-to- face, social media, phone, email, and LiveChat interactions between April and September. 

After initially closing their doors, all the visitor centres in the region reopened safely, following WorkSafeBC protocols created in partnership with Destination BC. A dominant trend this year was the marked increase in local British Columbians seeking the knowledge and expertise of visitor centre counsellors to explore their own backyard. These connections allowed for more than travel advice, they provided a valuable opportunity for travel counsellors to share important safety information.

While all visitor centres were required to pivot and adjust service delivery, just a few of many notable innovative approaches took place in Hope, where they implemented a drive-thru visitor centre, and in Chilliwack where they partnered with AdventureSmart to provide safety information at popular trailheads. We thank all the visitor centre staff and volunteers in the VCM region for their continued dedication to providing exceptional visitor services to those exploring Super, Natural British Columbia.

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BC Hospitality Foundation Lottery
Don't Miss out - BC Hospitality Foundation Lottery

The BC Hospitality Foundation is hosting their primary fundraiser for 2020, an online lottery, with a focus on supporting local hotels, wineries, breweries, restaurants, tourist attractions, and of course, their staff – the heart and soul of our hospitality industry. Featuring prizes from some of BC’s most remarkable destinations, they aim to fill your 2021 with safe and local explorations of our own, beautiful BC backyard.

Tickets on sale NOW to November 1st!

Learn more, and purchase your lottery tickets, at:
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Insurance: What You Need to Know

October 30th @ 10:00 AM (PT)

Presenters:
Craig Burkart, MNP LLP National Lead Insurance Advisory
Walt Judas, Tourism Industry Association of BC CEO

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Sport Fishing Institute
Conference and Webinar Series 2020

The Sport Fishing Intsitute is hosting a series of virtual discussions intended to seek pathways for recovery of salmon stocks and predictable opportunity and reliable access for BC’s public fishery. Each session will be approximately 90 minutes long and will cover topics within this year's theme, Charting a Predictable Path for Salmon and BC’s Public Fishery.


Attendance is free, with thanks to conference sponsors, but you must register in advance for each session. Please visit the SFI website and the 2020 Conference page for registration links and conference updates.
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Together with the Tourism Cafe, the BC Regional Tourism Secretariat is pleased to announce expanded support through the BC Tourism Resiliency Network. Launching this month, Ideas Labs are a series of 30 online sessions on nine original topics selected from requests from tourism operators across the province. The labs will bring small groups together in a business-to-business learning environment to address hot topics where solutions to common problems are discussed and shared, and new ideas are incubated. These are 1-hour online peer-to-peer discussions led by an inspiring industry topic specialist.

Each session is limited to only 12 participants and space is limited. Ideas Labs is a program created and produced by the Tourism Cafe.

Learn more at:
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Tourism & Hospitality in a Time of COVID

Hosted by the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade on
November 2nd at 12 noon (PT)

The economic rebound of British Columbia hinges on the recovery of critical economic sectors such as tourism and hospitality.

Prior to the pandemic, tourism contributed $8.3 billion to provincial GDP and employed more than 160,000 people. For our region and province to recover, it is essential that government provide support measures to help the industry overcome and rebuild from the devastating impacts of COVID-19.

The keynote speaker and panellists will discuss the short- and long-term measures, programs and priorities that will help tourism-reliant businesses survive today and transform our region for the future.
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TIAC Congress (virtual, free event)
November 17 & 18

TIABC AGM
New date TBD

Indigenous Tourism BC AGM
November 25
TIABC's C-19 Bulletin is published every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

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.