With the ongoing challenges of COVID-19 and its many new variants, and the current and ongoing difficulties with regional access due to highway closures and flooding, it’s clear that there’s still a need for complimentary one-on-one business support through the Tourism Resiliency Program.
There continues to be new support programs announced, including three last Friday released by the BC Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. As much as $15 million will be provided through the Tourism Accommodation and Commercial Recreation Relief Fund through three streams:
B.C.-owned large accommodation providers employing more than 150 people;
Indigenous-owned large accommodation properties employing more than 100 people and located on reserve;
and the third for tenure and BC Parks permit holders that operate as tourism businesses.
These relief grants have been developed to offset fixed costs for large accommodation operators with property taxes, hydro fees for Indigenous-owned accommodation, or assistance for tourism businesses operating on Crown land and in BC Parks with tenure and park permit fees incurred in 2021.
TOTA Resiliency Advisors are staying informed on these as well as other new program resources and changing restrictions and vaccination requirements. If you’re facing new or long-term difficulties, we are here to help support you through this challenging time.
After the Province of British Columbia declared a State of Emergency in March 2020 due to a rise in case of COVID-19, TOTA connected with regional, provincial, and national levels of government and organizations.
Together with the BC Regional Tourism Secretariat, TOTA launched the BC Tourism Resiliency Network on April 27, 2020 to offer support to tourism businesses throughout the province. TOTA leads the regional branch, the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Resiliency Program, offering one-on-one advising and information resources for tourism companies in the region. Advisors followed up with resources and support to access financial, digital marketing, human resources, legal, mental health, and business education resources.
TOTA continued the Tourism Resiliency Program in 2021. At year end, the Tourism Resiliency Program has supported more than 965 companies through 23,680+ points of contact. There are 26 Indigenous-owned companies and 126 female-owned companies participating in the program.
The Tourism Resiliency Program has supported a variety of business categories operating in a range of sub-regions. The main categories were accommodation (35%), Activity / Attraction (24%), Food & Beverage (13%), Cultural (8%). The primary sub regions were the Central Okanagan (28%), North Thompson (15%), South Okanagan (15%), and North Okanagan (13%).
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 CDC currently lists about 80 destinations worldwide at Level 4. It says that if people must travel, they should make sure they are fully vaccinated.
TIABC has contacted the Prime Minister's Office to enquire about what the Government of Canada is doing to see that the advisory is lifted given the ramifications the advisory has had on the tourism industry already.
The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) has released its 2022-25 Strategic Plan: Building Back Better, which will focus on revitalizing the Indigenous tourism industry from the ongoing devastating impacts of COVID-19. As the Indigenous tourism industry in Canada recovers from COVID-19, ITAC has set sights on moving forward in the most adaptable and sustainable manner possible, contributing meaningfully towards several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
While COVID-19 has paused the Indigenous tourism industry’s growth, ITAC has revised its targets to build back to pre-COVID levels by 2025, three years sooner than projected.
Destination BC has announced that Alison McKay has assumed the role of Acting Vice President, Destination Management.
In her role, Alison will oversee Destination BC’s destination management programs and will also lead the Destination Management team in implementing annual plans, programs and projects; work with the executive team to support corporate-wide projects such as Invest in Iconics, Destination Stewardship, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; and collaborate with Indigenous Tourism BC on projects specific to Indigenous communities.
Congratulations to Alison! We look forward to working with you.
Tourism Kamloops’ Board of Directors is looking for a passionate leader to champion and drive the visitor economy in Kamloops. As a community champion the CEO will lead with innovative solutions in support of the organization's mandate, our community, and our stakeholders.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Tourism Kamloops is responsible for the leadership and management of all daily operations of the organization in its mission to brand, market, and grow Kamloops as a valuable tourism destination.
OTEC and Tourism HR Canada have developed an eight-minute 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.
Canada’s LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC) in partnership with the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA), invites marketers to participate in the second Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Survey of Marketers.
The purpose of the research is to understand how diverse, equitable and inclusive the Canadian marketing community is for individuals at all stages of their careers. The findings will help CMA understand how they can cultivate an environment that is inclusive, respectful and supportive of all.
Tourism Kamloops is asking for stakeholder input in an annual stakeholder survey. They are seeking feedback on activities undertaken in the past year. This is an important checkpoint to reflect on progress, milestones, and initiatives. Answers will be important in determining areas of improvement and will help to prioritize and formulate plans for the upcoming year.
BC Hotels, Commercial Recreation Businesses To Receive Pandemic Support
Friday, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport announced that eligible accommodation providers and tourism operators holding tenure and BC Parks permits will now have access to grants to alleviate fixed-cost pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
For BC-owned large accommodation providers employing more than 150 people;
For Indigenous-owned large accommodation properties employing more than 100 people and located on reserve; and
For tenure and BC Parks permit holders that operate as tourism businesses.
The Tourism Accommodation and Commercial Recreation Relief grants will help offset fixed costs for eligible large accommodation operators with property taxes, hydro fees for Indigenous-owned accommodation, or assistance for tourism businesses operating on Crown land and in BC Parks with tenure and park permit fees incurred in 2021.
Providing financial support for fixed costs was identified in the final report submitted by the Tourism Task Force as a recommendation for those businesses most affected by public-health measures restricting travel and gathering of groups. These supports are intended to help ensure the viability of these businesses through the 2022 winter and spring seasons.
Highlights of the Program:
Eligible large accommodation providers can receive up to 25% of property taxes up to a maximum of $500,000 in stream one;
In stream two, eligible Indigenous-owned large accommodation providers on reserve can receive 100% of BC Hydro fees, up to maximum of $200,000. Large accommodation providers include hotels, motels, resorts and lodges, including strata hotels.
Eligible commercial recreation businesses can receive 100% of eligible tenure or park-use permits under stream three, to a maximum of $200,000.
Tourism businesses with tenures under the Land Act or permits under the Park Act, include businesses such as wildlife viewing, fishing, hunting, mountaineering, horseback riding, off-road vehicle touring, whitewater rafting and heli-skiing, small destination resorts such as guest ranches or ecotourism lodges, campgrounds and outdoor recreation parks that offer activities such as waterslides and ziplines.
Note: Intake will open at 9:00 am January 17th and will close at 11:59 pm February 14th. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.
Note: If you applied for the Tourism & Hospitality Recovery Program (THRP) for period 22 (October 24 to November 20, 2021), you may have been affected by an error in the calculation spreadsheet for wage and hiring support, which erroneously showed they were ineligible for the THRP when they may have been eligible.
The Tourism Relief Fund supports tourism businesses, non-profits, and organizations to adapt operations to meet public health requirements while investing in products and services to facilitate future growth.
UPDATE:Indigenous sole proprietors are now eligible under the Tourism Relief Fund (TRF) with costs qualified on a retroactive basis up to twelve months prior to the receipt of a project application, but no earlier than April 19, 2021.
The Government of Canada has compiled resources for companies, employees, and self‑employed individuals including financial support, loans, and access to credit.
As tourism and hospitality businesses kick start their operations, retaining skilled employees, and attracting new workers will be critical to their success. The Tourism and Hospitality Emergency Recovery project is developing tools and resources to help operators respond to this enormous challenge.
In this difficult labour shortage, Capilano University School of Tourism Students are available to help develop business recruitment strategies. The Human Resources class will be working with tourism businesses to create a comprehensive recruitment strategy throughout the month of February.
After an initial consultation with the manager, students will analyze your needs and assess opportunities to help you attract a larger pool of candidates. In their report, students will design recruitment policies, audit current practices, and create recommendations on employer branding.
They will recommend recruitment sources and present a digital strategy, helping you take a broader talent management approach. They will present their findings to your team via zoom and prepare a comprehensive report. The time commitment for employers is 1-2 hours of virtual meetings. There is no cost to participate.
The WORTH (Women of Recreation, Tourism & Hospitality) Mentorship Program matches mentees with an experienced leader as a mentor for a 6-month period between February and July, 2022.
Mentors and mentees both benefit from improved communication skills, growing their personal network, increased industry & job satisfaction, and the opportunity to learn from someone else. In this program they will also leverage peer-mentoring for all registered in the various events and workshops to further grow your network. In addition to the mentorship, the program includes 2-3 networking events and 2-3 development workshops.
To help small- and medium-sized tourism businesses prepare for international markets, the CanExport SMEs program is accepting new applications for projects starting after April 1, 2022.
For-profit businesses with $100,000 to $100 million in annual revenue can receive funding up to 50 percent of eligible costs, or between $10,000 and $50,000 per project. The program includes search engine optimization, translation and virtual trade events, and support costs tied to online advertising on social media platforms, online marketplaces and search engines.
Content planning is critical to the success of executing your marketing plan. If you have several digital platforms to manage, use this content calendar template to keep on track.
