Good afternoon accommodation community,

After months of advocacy, research, and collaboration, I am delighted to share that in a press release distributed this afternoon, the provincial government outlined further details on the Tourism Recovery Initiatives Action Plan that includes a strategic investment of more than $9.5 million over the next two years for recovery of the meetings, conference, and events sector, and to support with our workforce recovery strategy.

This has been an incredible piece of work led by the BC Hotel Association, go2HR, and a collection of our tremendous industry partners that include Destination Vancouver, Tourism Richmond, and Destination Greater Victoria. I would like to thank each organization along with each of you who have worked over the past weeks to detail the workability and eligibility of this critical investment. Your expertise, time, and strategic thinking has been incredibly valuable. Thank you.

To offer further clarity on the investment, the funds will be allocated in two streams:

Strategic investments to support the rebuild of our meetings, conferences, and events industry, and to address our workforce crisis, will be critical to our sector’s recovery and for the wellbeing of our workforce and provincial economy. The Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, under Minister Mark’s leadership, has been an extraordinary consultative partner, advocating for our industry and demonstrating a heartfelt commitment to support our strategic recovery. We are very grateful to the entire Tourism Ministry team for all their hard work, and for understanding the importance of investing strategically in our mutual recovery.

Best Regards

Ingrid

Should you be eligible for this funding it is imperative that you apply as soon as possible as the window for access to this relief is quickly closing. Furthermore should you have any questions about the grant or surrounding your eligibility, we strongly encourage you to reach out to TACRR@gov.bc.ca as soon as possible.

The provincial government’s 2021 Labour Market Outlook (LMO) was released earlier this week and forecasts more than one million job openings over the next decade.

The report points to a strong demand for workers in the accommodation and food services sectors. In fact, with 65,000 job openings over the next 10 years the sector is one of five industries to account for about half of total job openings. (the other four are health care and social assistance; professional, scientific and technical services; retail trade; and construction.

In the big picture, there are 1,004,000 job openings expected through to 2031 across B.C., and 63% of them will be to replace people leaving the workforce permanently, such as retirees. The remaining 37% will be new jobs created by economic growth and pandemic recovery.

The report notes B.C.’s workforce will be required to build new skills and knowledge to keep pace with the openings. Nearly 80% of the future job openings will require some level of post-secondary education or training.

The LMO also assesses the continuation of historical productivity growth and automation trends. It incorporates the expected increase in productivity due to COVID-19 in industries including tourism and hospitality and retail, as well as other industry-specific trends.

The federal government announced that they would be extending the Local Lockdown Program amendments and the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit to March 12, 2022. 

This week the BCHA is celebrating #BCHAShopLocal week! We will be sharing information and content highlighting the benefits of supporting local, and encouraging hoteliers to connect with local business owners.

A list of all approved projects, including upgrading hiking trails, increasing signage and an Indigenous campground development, is available at: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/CERIP_Table_2.pdf

The tourism infrastructure fund will begin accepting applications in fall 2022 and again in fall 2023. More information will be released this summer. //news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2022TACS0003-000124

ABLE BC is continuing to work with our industry partners to request logical and necessary amendments to the paid sick leave policy, including pressuring government to redefine “employment year” as a calendar year and to re-introduce the now-expired Employer Reimbursement Program for COVID-19 related sick leave wages.

Please visit the FAQ to better understand this policy.

You can still apply for reimbursement for employee COVID-19 sick leave taken between May 20, 2021 to December 31, 2021.

The reimbursement program will close on February 11, 2022 at 4:00 pm.

Reimbursement applications must be submitted online through WorkSafeBC.

If you have questions, please email LBR.COVIDPaidSickLeave@gov.bc.ca or call 1-888-PAY-4C1

At this year's BC Tourism & Hospitality Conference, we will be paying our respects through an "In Memoriam" slideshow tribute that honours all of those who have passed since we last met in person. We need your help to ensure that each of our industry friends are included.

We will be accepting submissions until Friday, February 11th. 

If you are planning to install a patio this summer, you need to take urgent action now. TESA applications from last year are expiring soon and do not provide approval for patios this coming summer.

On June 15, 2021, the LCRB extended the deadline for currently approved Temporary Expanded Service Areas (TESAs) to expire on June 1, 2022.

This means that if you have not made the service area under your TESA permanent by applying for a permanent structural change (e.g., applying for a patio), your TESA will expire on June 1, 2022 and you will not be able to sell or serve liquor in the expanded space.

B.C.’s provincial health officer announced an order requiring employers to re-activate their COVID-19 safety plans. This new order replaces the previous requirement for employers to have communicable disease prevention plans and does not have an expiration date.

In response to the workforce shortage impacting British Columbia’s hospitality industry, the British Columbia Hotel Association (BCHA) has taken matters into its own hands. For the first time in the organization’s 105-year-old history, it has created an administrative position dedicated to recruitment. Read more.

BUSINESS OPINION – BC Hotel Association Encourages Accommodation Sector to Source Locally (VIDEO)

The British Columbia Hotel Association (BCHA) is pleased to launch a new video encouraging the province’s accommodation sector to invest in local businesses and help build back BC’s economy stronger than ever. Read more.

Its Business Events and Conferences Restart Fund will provide up to $5 million in the fiscal year that ends March 31, and another $3 million next year to cities' destination management organizations, such as Destination Vancouver. Read more.

The Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable is joining a group of doctors to demand the federal government end all COVID-19 testing requirements for passengers. Read more.

Tourism operators on P.E.I. say the three-step plan for easing out of COVID-19 restrictions announced by the provincial government Tuesday is welcome news. Read more.

A collection of tools and articles on hotel revenue management from Cendyn Read more

The Future is Trust: a People-first Approach for the New Era of Hospitality - By Lize De Kock So much has changed in the hospitality industry, but one thing is certain to stay the same. In fact, at TrustYou we have spent the last months talking to hundreds of independent and enterprise hoteliers, as well as destination marketers, about the power of trust. The conversations typically take the same direction: quality, communication, relationships. It has never been more important to make that human connection. Read more

With both TikTok and Reels capturing outsized attention among social media users, we’ve created a comparison chart so you can fully leverage both of these popular platforms in your hotel marketing strategy. Read more

The ranking was chosen by U.S. News & World Report, which uses analysis of industry awards, hotel star ratings, and user ratings to draft the list.

For more information click here - congrats to all the named hotels!

Registration is now open for the 2022 BC Tourism & Hospitality Conference, taking place in-person at the Richmond Conference Centre from March 9-11, 2022.

Date: Friday, February 11th at 2:00 pm

Click here to register

The 2022 Cruise schedule is available here.

Our friends at the She Summits Forum are hosting a free event series to support your wellbeing and ignite your untapped potential called Elevate and Ignite.

Register for free here for the upcoming events | Details on each workshop can be found here. 

Who is the She Summits Forum? They help self-identifying women feel confident, empowered, and valued within themselves, their workplaces, and their communities. They do this through powerful films that celebrate the female spirit, nature-based events, curated content, and real connections. Learn more.

Date: April 3rd 1:30 PM  to April 5th 2:30 PM

The British Columbia Economic Development Association (BCEDA) is presenting its 2022 Annual BC Economic Summit in a virtual format with the theme of Reconciliation and Resiliency - A Future for BC. This is an opportunity to highlight success stories, lessons learned, share cutting-edge ideas, and engage your colleagues at the premier event for economic development practitioners in British Columbia.

Click here to learn more and to register.

Tourism stakeholders in the Vancouver Island region are invited to attend the in-person return of the annual Vancouver Island Tourism Conference, powered by Tourism Vancouver Island. It will be held April 12-14, 2022 in Victoria, B.C. at the Delta Hotels Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort. This year’s conference will focus on Mindful Travel: The health of our environment; The health of our industry; The health of our people. The early bird rate is $375 until February 11th (Regular rate is $475 until March 28th). Learn more and register here.