On December 15, the B.C. Ministry of Transportation announced a new plan for highway reopening:
The plan is as follows:
Monday, December 20: Highway 5 – will reopen to commercial traffic.
Monday, December 20: Highway 99 – the essential travel restriction from the junction of Highway 99 and Lillooet River Road to the BC Hydro Seton Lake Campsite access in Lillooet is expected to be lifted. The vehicle weight restriction of no more than 14,500 kg will remain.
Tuesday, December 21: Highway 3 – the essential travel restriction between the junction of Highways 5 and 3 in Hope to the west entrance to Princeton from Highway 3 will be removed 24 hours after Highway 5 opens.
We know that with the holiday season upon us, residents around the province are anxious to gather with family and this can mean travelling to and from the Interior. Those hoping to travel in the coming weeks for non-essential reasons can consider travelling on Highway 3 by car or regional bus service, or by air. Many airlines and bus services have added capacity to help people move around the province.
Provincial associations have prepared guidance documents to support industry and travellers, including the Destination BC Winter Travel Guide and a Winter Travel & Recreation Toolkit to assist tourism operators in informing residents and visitors alike of the current rules, recommendations, and expectations for travel in B.C.
As well, the Government of Canada and Vancouver International Airport (YVR) have developed an air travel infographic to assist travellers with a better understanding of what is required when both arriving and departing the airport.
B.C.’s tourism associations have developed a toolkit to guide operators in advising the public to plan travel in British Columbia this winter, with the unique challenges caused by the 2021 floods and road closures. Operators can share this document, include the information in their communications, and provide links on their website.
On December 9, Destination BC published a guide to help industry navigate winter travel questions among the latest entry requirements and road closures. The document provides key messaging, information and infographics, and resources for BC’s tourism industry as it relates to travel to and within BC this Winter. Topics include travel routes, trip planning, transportation, visitor servicing, health protocols, entry requirements, and proof of vaccination requirements for various activities and businesses. The document will be updated as needed, as the situation evolves.
The Government of Canada and Vancouver International Airport (YVR) have developed an air travel infographic to assist travellers with a better understanding of what is required when both arriving and departing the airport. Through direction from government, airport officials will be conducting COVID-19 testing for all fully vaccinated passengers arriving from an international destination at YVR with the exception for those coming directly from the US. This will be in addition to a number of existing travel requirements already in place at airports. The arrivals test is paid for by the Government of Canada.
The Reopening Fund is a one-year funding initiative through the Celebration and Commemoration Program to support initiatives that will:
increase opportunities for Canadians to participate in various commemorative activities and celebrations to mark Canada’s emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic; or
build a sense of pride and belonging to Canada by holding celebratory and commemorative activities that recognize people and achievements in the response to COVID-19 ; and / or
support the revival of local economies through in-person events.
Canadian not-for-profit organizations, for-profit organizations with non-commercial projects, educational institutions, and government institutions are eligible to apply.
Women in tourism can apply for a free virtual program tailored specifically for women-led tourism business managers and entrepreneurs. Developed by The Forum and Vancouver, Coast & Mountains, the program will provide expertise and resources to support women in tourism January 13 and 20, 2022.
Applications will be accepted until January 6 or until all available spots have been filled.
The BC Marketplace helps small businesses to connect with new customers, especially BC-based audiences. Businesses are welcome to create a free listing, which helps to builds online presence and provides marketing exposure.
Created by Small Business BC to support small businesses, the BC Marketplace is made possible with the support of the Government of British Columbia and the Government of Canada.
The TOTA team is here to help with the challenges your business is facing. As part of TOTA's Tourism Resiliency Program tourism companies can access the following free supports:
The government is also going to further expand its on-arrival testing and isolation rule which so far is only being randomly applied to air travellers. The government has said it will be made universal to all air travellers outside of the United States, but hasn’t said when that will happen.
The BC Meetings & Events Industry Working Group has successfully received a distinction for business events in the latest provincial health order. This is relevant because now business events are allowed as standing events. Networking, receptions, and mingling are all acceptable. Holiday parties associated with businesses are considered “business events.”
This distinction in the health orders is a big step in the right direction.
People throughout B.C. will be able to enjoy more arts, culture, sports and community occasions as the Province supports more than 680 events, including 131 in the Thompson Okanagan region, such as:
Interior Provincial Exhibition - agricultural exhibition and fair in Armstrong
Canada Rock Fest - Music Festival - Grand Forks
Bass Coast Festival - Merritt
Merritt Rockin' River Fest - Merritt
IRONMAN Canada - Penticton - Penticton
Salmon Arm ROOTS and BLUES Festival - Salmon Arm
The BC Bike Race - Penticton
Rock The Lake - Kelowna
SilverStar Bike Fest - Silver Star Resort
Greater Vernon 2022 BC Winter Games - Vernon
Spartan Race Kelowna at Big White Ski Resort - Kelowna
Granfondo Axel Merckx Okanagan - Penticton2022 Canada 55+ Games - Kamloops
The Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) and the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) have agreed to formalize their partnership through a signed memorandum of understanding (MOU). This represents a concrete collaboration between these two national organizations.
The MOU is to work collaboratively and coordinate efforts to provide leadership, advocacy and engagement opportunities, supporting the recovery of the Indigenous tourism sector in Canada. ITAC and TIAC will work together to share and develop knowledge, complementary expertise, and market intelligence.
TOTA has created a survey to better understand challenges faced by Thompson Okanagan tourism businesses and to help connect businesses to available resources. Responses will be collated to provide anonymous insights to government as to what resources are required to support industry through recovery.
Ontario Tourism Education Corporation (OTEC) and Tourism HR Canada have developed an eight-minute survey survey to better understand support services available across the country, as well as any innovative practices tourism businesses are implementing to mitigate workforce shortages. The findings of this survey will help to recommend where investments in products or services could/should be made in order to build a toolkit that will help employers or communities address workforce recovery needs.
Research data created by Environics Analytics to help the travel and tourism industry understand the impact of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic as it relates to Domestic Overnight Visitors within Canada.
Custom reports from the BC Regional Tourism Secretariat (BCRTS) research program and highlights from a variety of sources including Destination Canada, Destination BC, Travel and Tourism Research Association, Destination Analysts, UNWTO, BCHA/STR, Destination Think, and Environics Analytics.
