C-19 BULLETIN - September 30, 2020
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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 October 13th, 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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Federal Government Update
Health Canada regulators have officially approved a new rapid COVID-19 test procedure, which is expected to roll out across the country in coming weeks to help with a rise in assessments.
The introduction of government approved rapid testing will be critical for the future of tourism and travel recovery, so this is potentially good news for the sector.
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Registration Open for Kootenay Rockies Tourism Businesses
'How-To Workshops' for Shoulder Season & Culinary Tourism Industry
The Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) is launching a pan-Canadian, capacity-building workshop series which will support SMEs’ in rural and secondary markets. Originally designed to help bolster Canada’s tourism expansion in potential growth areas, the COVID-19 global health pandemic has drastically changed the tourism landscape in Canada. In response, TIAC has pivoted the design of the workshops to reflect the new tourism reality for most operators. TIABC is pleased to support these workshops, alongside Destination BC.
These workshops will now assist small and medium tourism operators and other tourism organizations across the country in developing strategies to maintain their businesses, and develop winter and shoulder season and culinary experiences.
Workshops for the Kootenay Rockies region will be taking place Wednesday, October 21st & Thursday, October 22nd. These sessions offer capacity building content and strategy development, with a focus on:
- Support for rural and secondary market tourism: Currently, only three provinces and their largest cities are the primary destination for the vast majority of visitors coming to Canada.
- Support for winter and shoulder season development: Despite Canada being known for its winters, only 1% of activities are winter-based, which creates challenges for tourism operators trying to optimize the use of talent and capital investments.
- Support for culinary tourism development: Approximately one fifth of spending by international travelers in Canada is on food and beverage. By increasing visitor demand for local food and drink, food tourism contributes to the long-term sustainability of local agriculture, food systems, communities and culture.
- With a variety of ongoing and shifting travel restrictions, there is opportunity to attract domestic travelers to destinations outside of the major urban centres - and to expand marketing to international travelers as soon as it is safe to do so.
For additional information on the benefits of the workshops, please visit:
Registration is now open until October 21st - Register HERE
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The BC Liquor Conference
Registration is Open
The BC Liquor Conference is back for a fifth year and it is going virtual.
Hosted by ABLE BC, the #1 advocate for BC's pubs and liquor stores, this year's conference will take place online on Monday, October 19th and Tuesday, October 20th.
No matter where you are in the province, tune in and get the liquor industry data, trends, and policy updates you can't get anywhere else.
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Fishing BC Update
Our sector partners at Fishing BC provided an update on year so far....
As we enter the Fall season, we all naturally start looking back and reflecting on how the tourism season went. For most of us in the industry, it was an extremely challenging year full of uncertainty and stress.
To paint this past season as a complete loss would not be accurate though as a good portion of the operators in the fishing sector had very strong years, The resorts, guides, and charters that primarily cater to short-haul markets are already reporting solid bookings for 2021 as visitors look to lock in prime dates.
The future of participation in fishing also looks bright as so far this year there has been an 18% increase in freshwater fishing licence sales to BC residents. While we’ve seen an increase in licence purchases across all age groups except seniors, the most significant increase has been with young anglers with a 58% increase in 16-24 year old and a 25% increase in 25-34 year old anglers.
As we look ahead to 2021, our marketing focus will undoubtedly be on helping those operators who traditionally cater to US and international clientele and were subsequently hit very hard this past season. Many reported business being down over 75% and some did not open at all.
While we know the border will eventually reopen, we are not going to sit idle waiting for that day. We are now in the early stages of planning a significant marketing campaign targeting long-haul Canadian visitors who may have BC on their fishing bucket lists. This will be the first time that Fishing BC has made significant investments in promoting to long-haul Canadian markets. This marketing campaign investment has been made possible by the $150,000 Covid-19 Recovery Funding that Destination BC and Destination Canada have contributed to the Fishing BC campaign.
Recovery from this pandemic will require a strategic and coordinated approach. We want to let all our community and regional partners know that the Fishing BC campaign plans to do everything we can to lead the sector's recovery and we look forward to working will all of you again in the very important 2021 season.
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SKi Well, Be Well
The Canadian Ski Council has released their Ski Well, Be Well Ski Area Operating Best Practices guide.
Ski industry leaders from across North America established foundational best practices according to scientific guidelines put forth by infectious disease experts, including public health authorities and the WHO. Ski areas will comply with additional federal, provincial and local regulations as they are implemented.
Snowsports are a way for people to play in wide-open spaces, and to take advantage of the mental and physical health benefits of outdoor recreation. For decades, ski area owners and operators have managed skier numbers and safety in daily operations, collaborating with fellow industry experts to offer safe and memorable experiences. The Canadian Ski Council, regional ski associations, and ski areas commit to providing outdoor recreation in ways that promote health and safety, and reduce the risk of infection.
Download the Ski Well, Be Well document here
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Freeze It For Them Campaign
149,000 jobs are supported by the beverage Canadians love: beer. 85% of the beer consumed in Canada is made here, yet nearly 50% of the price is government tax.
To support Canada’s economic recovery, protect and create jobs, and keep dollars in the pockets of Canadians who need it now more than ever, we’re asking governments across the country to freeze beer tax increases.
TIABC, ABLE BC, BCHA, Restaurants Canada, and BC Restaurant & Foodservices Association are all supporters of the campaign.
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Tourist Attractions in BC
Leger conducted over 1,000 online surveys with BC residents between September 4th and 6th to determine their comfort level with visiting attractions.
The study results revealed that Butchart Gardens (53%), Cypress Mountain (47%), Grouse Mountain (45%), Capilano Suspension Bridge (42%) and Fort Langley (41%) are the top 5 attractions that BC residents are comfortable to visit now. Not surprisingly, those aged 18-54 tend more to feel more comfortable visiting those places than their older counterparts.
Overall, BC residents are still feeling uncomfortable visiting cultural and local attractions due to the situation with the COVID-19. However, it’s obvious that visiting outdoor tourist attractions is perceived safer to people than attending indoor places.
Read the full report here. |
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Tourism Digital Academy
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 at 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, email, website usability, content, analytics and more – you’ll leave the program with the confidence and knowledge to put that plan into action.
This online program includes:
- 8 weeks of interactive sessions led by digital marketing experts and ongoing access to the video recordings (Tuesdays & Thursdays each week for a total of four hours per week)
- Technical tutorials to dig deeper into specific areas and share experiences with other participants (Wednesdays each week for one hour)
- One-to-one coaching available, on demand, to answer your sticky questions
- Audits of your business website, SEO and social media channels to assess your current situation
- A marketing plan template to guide development of your own plan
- Opportunities for peer support and networking
There are multiple intakes, each running for 8 weeks, beginning the week of:
- October 19 – Applications due by Oct 8
- October 26 – Applications due by Oct 16
- November 9 – Applications due by Oct 30 (with a break over the holiday period)
The application-based program is free for all participants and requires a minimum level of digital marketing experience to participate to participate. We advise that participants dedicate up to 10 hours per week to the program: five hours to attend classes and tutorial sessions, and up to five hours to apply the learning to your marketing plan as you go. Please allow 15-30 minutes to complete the application.
To learn more and apply, visit:
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October 2nd
October 7th
October 21st
TBD
September 21st-25th
November 17th-18th
TIABC AGM
November 25
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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.
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