Community Well-Being Survey Launches to All Residents of BC on International Happiness Day
March 20, 2023, Kelowna, B.C. - The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) has launched the Community Well-Being Survey on International Day of Happiness, March 20, 2023. The survey is being conducted in collaboration with the British Columbia Regional Tourism Secretariat (BCRTS) and Planet Happiness, a tourism focused arm of the Happiness Alliance non-profit organization.
The goal is to measure how happy and healthy British Columbia’s residents are feeling and to further strengthen the relationship between the tourism industry, its residents and their well-being.
All B.C. residents are invited to take the Community Well-Being Survey between March 20 and April 30, 2023.
British Columbia is an incredible destination full of endless activities to explore nature and connect with others. The survey aims to collect insights from British Columbians on what makes this province an exceptional place to live as well as what brings its residents satisfaction and contentment. The survey contains questions about mental health, lifestyle, hobbies, feelings toward tourism, and daily activities.
The Community Well-being Survey is a state-of-the-art, scientifically-valid tool created by the Happiness Alliance. It is based on the country of Bhutan's pioneering approach to move beyond basic economic measures to determine a population’s “Gross National Happiness.” Inspired by Buddhist concepts, the term is defined as a “multi-dimensional approach to finding a balance between material well-being and a society’s spiritual, emotional, and cultural needs.”
Once the data is analyzed, a one-page destination score-card is produced that provides in-depth, data-rich reports that spark conversations about tourism and destination well-being, and how this relationship can be strengthened within the province.
British Columbians have proven their capacity for resiliency and moving forward together throughout the pandemic. As the world continues to return to normal, the British Columbia Regional Tourism Secretariat (BCRTS) wants to ensure resident well-being is at the forefront of reintegrating tourism to the communities.
One of the BCRTS’ objectives is to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and to support recovery efforts in the province due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional goals of this survey initiative include: raising global awareness and participation in the Gross National Happiness (GNH) and “Beyond GDP” agenda, as well as contributing to the BCRTS’ Tourism Impact Portal.
Help Spread the Word
Individuals and companies are encouraged to share the survey with team members and communities before the survey closes on April 30, 2023. To make sharing easy, TOTA has prepared a Media Kit with sample promotion materials for email and social media.