TIABC Releases Highway Signage Policy

The Tourism Industry Association BC (TIABC) Policy Committee has been working to address the ongoing concerns regarding the province-wide maintenance and replacement of service and attraction highway signage, an important component of wayfinding for visitors to B.C.

After a thorough review of the current provincial signs policy and input from industry stakeholders and members, TIABC developed a comprehensive list of the core issues regarding the current signage policy and subsequently developed the TIABC Policy on Province-wide Maintenance & Replacement of Service & Attraction Highway Signage.

The following are highlights of the nine policy recommendations:

1. The Ministry of Transportation must conduct an annual audit of all existing signs in each region to A) understand relevance of current signage and update as necessary (e.g. delete references to businesses that are closed), and B) to identify wayfinding gaps such as failure to list turn-offs for services or amenities.

2. All blue and white service and attraction signs should be maintained to the standard that befits the province’s Super, Natural British Columbia tourism brand.

3. Existing signs should be upgraded, or new signs introduced to include Indigenous communities and tourism businesses in the spirit of reconciliation.

4. To avoid lengthy waits to replace or repair signage, the province should offer an expedited process that allows private operators to pay all or part of the cost if they so choose.

Read TIABC's Highway Signage Policy Document →

Happy Tourism Week | May 29 – June 4, 2022

Each year, from May 29 to June 4, 2022, tourism partners are invited to come together to champion and promote Canada’s destinations, tourism businesses, and employees to celebrate tourism in Canada from coast to coast to coast.

Get Involved

Operators and communities around BC are encouraged to share their Tourism Week celebrations on social media using the hashtags #BCTourismCounts and #GreenMeansGo.

The Tourism Industry Association of Canada has created a toolkit with resources to make it easy to share Tourism Week.

Access Canada Toolkit →

Destination BC and TIABC have provided a toolkit with B.C. specific resources.

Download B.C. Toolkit →

TIABC created a series of Value of Tourism Videos that you can share through your channels. Videos range from about 0:35 seconds to 2:57 minutes, and feature different parts of the province. 

Watch & Download Videos → 

Be sure to follow TIABC and Destination BC on their social channels to share, like and retweet social posts to help all B.C. communities spread the word about Tourism Week.

The Value of Tourism

Tourism is vital to British Columbia, not only for its ability to generate huge economic activity, but also for providing social, cultural and environmental benefits, and showcasing our values as a province: resiliency, reconciliation, peace, tolerance, and inclusivity. These values are needed on the world stage now more than ever.

Tourism improves the quality of life for all British Columbians. Think about the things we enjoy that would not be as viable without the tourism engine: museums and galleries, festivals and sports events, air/highway and coastal transportation, dining and wine touring, parks and recreational facilities, and many other benefits that make life so good here in BC.

Tourism has benefits for both urban and rural communities, provides inclusive and welcoming spaces for all travelers, and acts as a financial and social force for good.

The majority of British Columbians agreed that tourism industry plays an important role in British Columbia’s economic recovery from the COVID 19 pandemic (84%), tourism supports a greater diversity of amenities (such as restaurants, attractions, recreation facilities, and events) than would otherwise exist in their community (79%), while 76% agree that tourism plays a positive role in preserving, sharing, and celebrating the culture and history of their community.

Canadian RVing and Camping Week & Camper's Code Pledge

May 24 - May 29, 2022 was the seventh annual Canadian RVing and Camping Week. Created by the Canadian Camping and RV Council, Provincial Campground Owners Associations, RVDA of Canada, Canadian RV Association and Go RVing Canada, this event is to say "thank you" to patrons and invite other Canadians to take up camping.

The value of camping to the economy and the well being of people has been recognized by the Province of British Columbia who issued a proclamation to proclaim May 24 – 29, 2022 “RVing and Camping Week”.

The BC Lodging and Campgrounds Association (BCLCA) expects more than 1,000,000 campers will Camp or RV in British Columbia this year.

The importance of campgrounds to outdoor enthusiasts was amplified during the height of the COVID 19 pandemic, when more and more Canadians looked at camping for the first time as a safe, and healthy way to get outdoors and vacation responsibly.

With more first-time campers in British Columbia, the BCLCA found the need to ask people to be a respectful camper and in 2021 introduced the Camper’s Code. The Camper’s Code consists of nine simple messages to inspire a sense of shared responsibility and an understanding of appropriate behaviour. Campers are encouraged to take an online pledge and to help inspire a camping culture that is rooted in common sense, respect, and sustainability.

To support camping and lodging in BC and the BCLCA "Campers Code" - TIABC produced a "Know Before you Go" video, aimed at educating visitors and locals about how to behave responsibly when camping in BC.

New Tourism Emergency Management Framework to Guide Industry During Crises

In conjunction with Emergency Preparedness Week, the industry-led Tourism Emergency Management Committee (TEMC) has released a new BC Tourism Emergency Management Framework to help reduce the industry’s vulnerabilities and risks and lessen the potentially adverse impacts to visitor experiences during emergencies.

The framework provides a unified structure to support tourism partners and visitors on matters related to the four pillars of emergency management:

1. Mitigation

2. Preparedness

3. Response

4. Recovery

The framework also supports the Province of British Columbia’s comprehensive emergency management plans by strengthening integration of visitors and the visitor economy before, during, and after an emergency event. This includes addressing visitors’ unique needs during emergencies, improving tourism industry preparedness, managing long term destination reputation, and reducing economic impact to tourism businesses.

As B.C.’s visitor economy continues to recover from the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a strong need for a coordinated approach to emergency management for the tourism sector, particularly given anticipated future crises such as wildfires, flooding, heat domes, and another pandemic.

View Framework Document →

View Framework One Pager →

View TIABC Announcement →

The Value of Tourism Video Series by TIABC, BCRTS & Destination BC

The Value of Tourism is a series of short videos capturing the essence of the tourism industry’s contribution to British Columbia from the lens of the people who work in the various sectors and regions that make up our province’s visitor economy.

The videos tell stories using concrete examples from both a personal perspective, in addition to how their business, community, region, or sector has made a difference. The interviewees bring the viewer along and paint a compelling yet personable picture. 

The Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) partnered with the BC Regional Tourism Secretariat (BCRTS), Destination British Columbia, and PacifiCan to produce the videos.

About the Value of Tourism

Tourism contributes to the high quality of life in British Columbia by supporting arts, sports, Indigenous culture, historical assets, festivals and events, restaurants and pubs, parks and recreation, outdoor adventure, among other sectors and activities. Tourism brings significant international benefits through trade and investment, education, infrastructure development, and immigration.

The tourism industry is comprised of thousands of mostly small businesses, whose voices are often unheard. TIABC and its industry partners in British Columbia must come together to strengthen our collective voice to fully capture the opportunity ahead and overcome the obstacles.

The Value of Tourism (VoT) initiative has been designed to increase the understanding of tourism as a powerful engine for economic, cultural, and social well-being, and to secure cross-government support for tourism investments by describing how tourism benefits every community and region in British Columbia.

This project is also designed to increase interest in tourism as a career choice, as well as provide insight into how tourism can be a catalyst for addressing major issues and opportunities such as climate change, sustainability, reconciliation, workforce, among other priorities. 

Share the Value of Tourism

The vignettes and videos are available for use by destination marketing organizations, sector associations, individual operators, and other tourism stakeholders to use in communicating with all levels of government, residents, community and business leaders, organizations, schools and universities, and others to share the Value of Tourism through social media channels, websites, presentations and advocacy initiatives, etc. to help rebuild the reputation and understanding of the importance of the tourism industry post-COVID-19.

Share Videos →

Coalition of Businesses & Sector Associations Express Concern With Province's Sick Pay Program

Originally published by TIABC on January 28, 2022.

In a letter to Labour Minister Harry Bains, the coalition noted that the sick pay program comes at a difficult time for businesses during the height of the new Omicron wave. It's particularly challenging for businesses such as pubs and restaurants which were not closed (and thus many were ineligible for government assistance) and whose business dropped precipitously.

There are many examples of businesses experiencing functional closures and seeing a significant portion of their employees at home sick. Consequently, operationally and administratively it has been a very challenging start to the year.

One of the group's primary concerns relates to the fact that businesses and employees rely on payroll and human resources information systems to track, store and provide accurate information on use of paid sick days and payment for those days. Nearly all of these systems are based on a workplace having a common ‘employment year’ which is most often the calendar year or a business’s fiscal year.

The current wording of the ‘employment year’ definition on the Employment Standards website from the policy interpretation of Illness or Injury Leave - Act Part 6, Section 49.1 is causing confusion for employers and workers alike: “Employment year” refers to the specific employee’s employment year, based on their start date.

Most businesses remain unaware of this interpretation of the policy. In addition, there are problems faced by businesses struggling to understand how to implement paid sick leave for part-time and short-term employees.

In its letter, the coalition offered a number of recommendations for the province to consider including amending the definition of 'employment year', as well as reimbursing businesses for the additional sick days paid over the annual intended five days paid sick leave businesses understood they were required to pay.

Organizations that signed a letter include TIABC, BC Chamber of Commerce, Greater Vancouver BC Restaurant & Food Services Association, Restaurants Canada, go2HR, ABLE BC, BCHA and others.

U.S.A. Advises Against Travel to Canada

Residents in the United States are being advised not to travel to Canada due to COVID-19 hospitalizations.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Level 4 notice to avoid travel to Canada due to the emerging COVID-19 situation.

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.

View CDC advisory on U.S. travellers to Canada →

Canada's Tourism Minister Suggests Industry May Have to Rely on Domestic Travel Until Fall

Originally published by TIABC on January 4, 2022

The tourism and hospitality sector has been among those most severely affected by the pandemic. An article published by CBC News on December 27, 2021, explained that the federal minister responsible for the industry, Hon. Randy Boissonnault, said the return of international travellers could still be a long way off due to the uncertainty over the persisting Omicron variant.

In Canada, domestic travellers account for 78% of tourism spending. But international visitors spend an average of $1,047 per trip, while domestic vacationers spend less than a quarter of that.

The sector has contracted by more than 50% over the course of the pandemic, falling from a $105 billion-a-year industry before the pandemic to one worth about $53 billion now. That's a drop of 40% in domestic spending and 8% in spending by international visitors.

Industry stakeholders like TIABC's national counterparts, TIAC, say that the sector faces three significant challenges over the next year such as:

1. To simply survive until visitors return

2. The impact of ongoing restrictions on travel

3. A labour shortage brought on by the pandemic

Industry insiders say that the labour shortage is not being driven solely by slack short-term demand that will correct itself once borders reopen — that it represents a permanent move away from the sector by key workers.

The industry wants the federal government to make adjustments to the temporary foreign worker program and immigration streams to fill the demand for key workers in the sector. Stakeholders say they have to fix the damage done to the reputation of the industry as a result of the pandemic in order to attract new workers.

Read the full story →

Winter Travel Toolkit for B.C. Tourism Industry | Updated December 16, 2021

Download Winter Travel Toolkit

British Columbians have faced unprecedented challenges from severe weather and flooding that have impacted the normal ability to travel between the Lower Mainland and the rest of the province.

While the work is ongoing to repair the damage done, we can still travel to connect with family and enjoy winter recreation if we plan ahead and prepare for situations that can shift rapidly. Many of us are eager to travel and see family and friends this winter.

This toolkit is designed as a guide for operators with the information needed by the public to plan travel in British Columbia this winter.  Operators can share this document, include the information in their communications, and provide links on their website.

People can get from the Lower Mainland to the Interior by driving via Highway 99 as of Dec 20, via Highway 3 as of Dec 21, and via the United States. They can also take advantage of the lower rates and extra capacity a number of airlines have added, or travel via existing commercial bus operators.

Situations can evolve rapidly, and we’ll do our best to keep everyone informed by updating this toolkit and the links to critical information that should reflect changes to travel information.

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BC Tourism & Hospitality Awards | Nominations Open Until January 14, 2022

The 2022 BC Tourism & Hospitality Awards are presented by BCHA and TIABC to recognize and celebrate excellence, leadership, and innovation within British Columbia’s tourism & hospitality industry. These Awards recognize the province’s most exceptional products, services, experiences, and people who exhibit the utmost standard of excellence.

Award nominations are now open! Awards will be presented in the following eight categories:

• Indigenous Operator

• Sustainability

• Employees First

• Business Woman of The Year

• Hotelier of The Year

• Innovation

• Community Contribution & Impact

• Professional Excellence

Learn more about each award →

Finalists will be announced in February, and the official recipients will be awarded at the Awards Gala evening during the 2022 BC Tourism and Hospitality Conference on Thursday, March 10, 2022, held at the Richmond Conference Centre.

If you know a business, organization, or individual deserving of a nomination, submit your nomination before January 14, 2022.

Submit a Nomination →

Silent Auction

The 2022 BC Tourism & Hospitality Silent Auction will be held in conjunction with the 2022 Conference and Awards Gala. If you are interested in donating an item, contact info@bctourismandhospitalityconference.com.

TIABC Releases 2021 Advocacy Report Card

TIABC is pleased to release the 2021 Advocacy Report Card, which details the updated advocacy efforts and achievements of the organization since fall, 2020.

TIABC’s updated Advocacy Report Card represents the additional work that has been done in the past 12 months and offers a level of accountability to valued members and stakeholders that guide and support the organization’s efforts each year.

You are invited to read the report and connect with TIABC at any time at info@tiabc.ca for questions, comments or recommendations on TIABC’s direction or priorities, as well as any other issues affecting your business.

UPDATED: BC Hotel Association and Tourism Industry Association of BC AGM's

The community of Merritt is currently under evacuation due to extreme weather conditions which is impacting the region and other parts of our province. BC Hotel Association (BCHA), TIABC, Tourism Kamloops, and the Kamloops Hotel Association are currently working alongside Emergency Management BC to secure accommodation for those evacuating and unable to stay with friends and family.

In an effort to ensure that maximum accommodation is made available to those in need, a decision has been made to no longer move forward with the in-person TIABC & BCHA Annual General Meeting/s. Instead, the event will take place online only - Wednesday, November 17, 2021

The BC Hotel Association (BCHA) and Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) are the voices of the provincial hospitality & tourism sectors at the federal, provincial, and community level, advocating for the best interests of BC’s accommodation and tourism communities.

The session will include:

• Updates on advocacy efforts both provincially and federally

• Information on emerging issues and strategies to mitigate risk

• Tools, resources, and benefits available to our members

• Recovery strategies for the tourism and hospitality sector

• Special guest speakers and dignitaries

• A townhall Q&A session

AGENDA

The run of show will remain as initially planned apart from the networking and reception event which will no longer take place:

• 1pm – 2pm | TIABC AGM

• 2pm – 2:45pm | Keynote Speaker, Emile Gourieux of STR on global trends and recovery

• 3pm - 3:15pm | Remarks by Hon. Melanie Mark, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture & Sport

• 3:15pm – 4pm | BCHA AGM & Live Industry Update presentation

• 4pm – 5pm | Industry Town Hall and Q&A presented by Rising Tide Consulting

Excerpts from News Conference with Dr. Henry & Health Minister Dix on Ski Resorts, Holiday Travel & Music Events (Nov. 9, 2021)

Originally published in a TIABC Newsletter on November 12, 2021

November 9, 2021:

Dr. Henry: So, here's what I'm asking you to think about as we head towards the coming holiday season. Keep your indoor groups small. We know that indoors is more risky than outdoors. And, it's really important that if you do have an indoor group that people are vaccinated. That helps mitigate the risk of transmission.

You can spend time with your loved ones, and indeed you must spend time. We need to have that time together. But have a smaller gathering this year, perhaps with one or two of your family members, or other families, rather than the full big family reunion. And make sure everyone is vaccinated.

If you're wanting to spend time with your broader family and friends, then plan an outdoor activity instead of gathering inside where it's riskier. Go sledding or snowshoeing or hiking. We have many, many wonderful things that we can do outdoors safely, even in the winter months.

And if you're travelling to another community, whether for a day trip, for exercise, a holiday getaway, we need you to be a respectful traveller. We know how to do this. We have been through this now together for the last 20 months. We need to continue to be aware of the impact we are having on communities we're going to and the risks that we're bringing with us, and of course, the risks we bring home.

We must recognize that there are some communities right now that are dealing with very serious outbreaks of this virus still, particularly in the North, but also on Vancouver Island, in the Interior and in some areas of the Lower Mainland. And they may not be ready to accept visitors right now, so check before you go. That also includes following all of the public health orders. Just because things look different in a different community doesn't mean you can let your guard down.

Here in BC, respectful travel means being fully vaccinated, using your vaccine card if you're going in to access services or going to events in any community; wearing a mask in all indoor public venues, including local stores, ski hills. All of those areas where we know that extra layer protection is so important at this time of year as we're moving into respiratory season.

Reporter: I know you've been asked about this before, but different ski hills are now putting in different policies around vaccine cards. Some are requiring vaccine to ride the gondolas or chairlifts. Others are not. Is there any change in guidance around whether the vaccine card may be used at ski hills considering people are in close contact in these gondolas?

Dr. Henry: just around ski hills, I know we have been working with the local public health, so my colleagues in each of the areas where we have ski hills have been reviewing the safety plans with each individual ski hill and there's a couple of things that all of them must adhere to, regardless of where their headquarters are.

One of them is we have an indoor mask mandate and gondolas are like a public transit, for example, an area where mask wearing is required, absolutely, and that is the same across the board. As well, we know that most ski hills have a vaccine mandate for their workers, which is something that protects all of the workers on the hill. That's important as well. And the BC vaccine card is required in all of those settings where you have either a licensed premise, where you're serving food, restaurants, sit down restaurants, etc. So we know that there's very strong protection plans and my colleagues have been working with each of the ski hills to make sure that they are robust.

We also know -- we've seen this from last year when we didn't have immunization -- that skiing is not necessarily a higher risk activity. We're not seeing transmission outdoors, we're not seeing transmission in gondolas, even in the absence of vaccination. So it is very important to have those safety plans. It is a requirement to wear masks on gondolas, on ski lifts, in lineups when you're close to people, and are more and more important this year, of course, but we also encourage everybody who's going there to be vaccinated.

We know that traveling into the country you need to be vaccinated. We know that travel within the country now you need to be vaccinated. So those are all things that will protect us and I think that's a really important consideration as we go into this ski season, too.

Minister Dix: I'll just add to that, that Mayor Jack Crompton of Whistler called me today and we spent some time talking about this issue. He's advocating forcefully for his community, and I think it's also important for the employer, in that case, to respond to the wishes of the community, as well, and we're hopeful they'll do so. I know other ski hills across BC have done that.

Reporter: Small music venues in BC are wondering when the ban will be lifted on standing and dancing in their establishments. Fans in BC can stand, dance and sing at larger events. What is the difference between that and the smaller venue? BC will soon be the only place in Canada with these types of restrictions in place.

Dr. Henry: I actually don't agree that we're the only place in Canada, but we do know that those indoor events where you have people crowding together and dancing and singing, so the general admission, it is the same across the board for all venues. Those large venues, they must have seated areas in front of the stage. They cannot have the general admission mosh pit in front of a concert, and the application of that is the same across the board.

We are doing this incrementally. We know that indoor settings are riskier than outdoor settings. We know that the vaccine card is one of the ways that we can reduce and mitigate that risk, but it's not the same everywhere. We have to be mindful that some of these settings are riskier.

We are doing things in an incremental way. We're looking at things like the vaccination rates in the community, like the amount of virus that's circulating in the community, the ability of people to wear masks. Those are all things that I'm working with my colleagues across the province. We spent quite a bit of time this week, and we'll be looking at how do we harmonize these and make these stronger, but this is not the time to make major changes that increase risk dramatically.

It affects all of those venues across the board, where we are requiring people to have access to a seat, because when people are seated, the risk is that much lower than when you're mingling with people.

TIABC CEO, Walt Judas: Message on Announcement of Federal Ministry of Tourism

Originally published in a TIABC Newsletter on October 29, 2021

“One of our sector’s advocacy wins in recent years was the establishment of a dedicated provincial tourism ministry. Although other related sectors make up the entire portfolio known as the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, the fact that tourism is at the top of the list suggests to me that our industry is important to the province and worthy of attention. But it wasn’t always the case.

In 2001, the government of the day folded the Ministry of Small Business and Tourism into another portfolio and essentially buried it. I recall the outcry from industry leaders who viewed the move as ill-conceived and a huge step backward for our sector.

The furor died down somewhat when then-Premier Gordon Campbell told delegates at the BC Tourism Industry Conference to stop whining (I’m paraphrasing) about not having a dedicated tourism minister or ministry because HE was the defacto head of BC’s visitor economy and was personally looking out for our best interests.

Fast forward to 2010, when in a similar move, government axed Tourism BC as a crown corporation and moved it into a ministry known as Tourism, Culture & the Arts. Industry leaders again cried bloody murder for a few years. After re-emerging as a crown corporation in 2013, the new ‘Destination’ BC would ultimately report to a few different ministries and ministers before settling down under the umbrella of the Tourism, Arts, Culture & Sport (TACS) ministry in 2017.

When I look back at various provincial government regimes over the last two decades and consider how the tourism portfolio has mostly bounced around between ministries and occasionally stood on its own, I’m somewhat surprised yet encouraged by the fact that despite (some might say because of) not having a stand-alone ministry within government for much of that time, the sector nonetheless performed remarkably well.

That said, the opportunities to grow and reshape our industry, recover from the pandemic to become a key economic driver once again, address societal challenges around sustainability, poverty, inclusion, and reconciliation, among other priorities can best be achieved when the tourism industry is under the oversight of a designated minister or ministry.

In other words, when given prominence as a primary sector…which in government parlance includes sufficient ministry budget and support staff, constructive policies, a seat at the cabinet table, oversight of crown agencies such as DBC and Pavco, and regular engagement with industry…our sector has a much better shot at meeting government and industry objectives (notwithstanding the current pandemic challenges) because of strong ministerial support and leadership.

The same principle applies at the federal level where multiple industry and government objectives can be accomplished under the guise of a dedicated tourism minister or ministry. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Trudeau appointed a new minister to oversee the critical tourism file instead of piling responsibilities onto another minister’s long list of priorities. From my perspective, it’s a very positive move and one that we need to capitalize on.

While I don’t know anything about Hon. Randy Boissonnault other than what I’ve read in his bio, the fact that he’s from the west and now has specific duties related to tourism and finance, bodes well for our industry’s future, especially in view of new tourism and hospitality specific support measures recently introduced that are so desperately needed for businesses to survive and rebuild.

I look forward to meeting with the new minister very soon. In the meantime, I know Hon. Melanie Mark is keen to get together with her new federal counterpart given the long list of issues and opportunities that need to be addressed vis-a-vis BC's visitor economy.

I really hope that having a dedicated federal minister overseeing tourism in Canada to complement TACS in British Columbia becomes the new norm from this point forward no matter who’s in power. We simply can't afford another giant step backward at any point during our sector's long road to recovery here at home and across Canada.”

- Walt Judas, CEO, TIABC

Keep Momentum of Support Strong with the Coalition of Hardest Hit Businesses

A critical pillar of advocacy work over the past 20 months has been TIAC’s position as co-chair of the Coalition of Hardest Hit Businesses. This is a coalition of over 120 tourism, hotel and events businesses including TIABC who are fighting for industry-specific support. Not just businesses - but also the organizations that represent hundreds of businesses behind them.

Check out the website for current campaigns and how you can get involved.

2021 BCHA & TIABC Annual General Meeting - TIABC AGM Election Update

TIABC and the BCHA invite you to join them, along with keynote speakers, at their respective Annual General Meetings, both taking place in Kamloops on Wednesday, November 17th, 2021.

Election updates:

For the 2021-2023 term, TIABC was seeking a total of five candidates. These Nominations closed on Friday, October 1.

Based on the nominations, the election will be in two categories with the following candidates seeking a Director position:

Business Category: (in alphabetical order)

• Ian MacPhee - Prince of Whales Whale Watching

• Sandra Oldfield - Elysian Projects

• Stephen Pearce - The Gaining Edge

• John Wilson - The Wilson Group

DMO Category: (in alphabetical order)

• Beverley DeSantis - Tourism Kamloops

• Chris Lewis - Tourism Kelowna

Returning to the TIABC Board of Directors are:

• Michael J. Ballingall - Big White Ski Resort

• Brenda Baptiste - Indigenous Tourism BC

TIABC's AGM will be held in-person on Wednesday, November 17th @ 1pm at the Delta Hotel in Kamloops where members in good-standing are eligible to vote. Members unable to attend in person will be able to attend virtually via Zoom.

TIAC Tourism Congress

The TIAC Tourism Congress brings tourism operators together. As Canada’s visitor economy continued to struggle under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism operators have been incredibly resilient.

The tourism industry’s must-attend annual event, the 2021 Tourism Congress, is an opportunity to network, connect and learn alongside delegates from coast to coast to coast. You’ll gain access to national and global industry insights, get relevant updates from your region and sector, and experience practical sessions that give you the tools you need to move forward.

This year, the 2021 TIAC Tourism Congress will have thought-provoking content to inform and inspire, and practical tools and solutions for the way forward. Join us in person at the Westin Ottawa or connect through our user-friendly virtual platform

Tuesday Nov 30 - Wednesday Dec 1

Join as a Member of the Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC)

Membership in TIABC has never been more important. The impacts of COVID-19 have been widespread in the tourism industry and coordination with industry partners to share concerns with government is critical.

To assist in recovery for BC’s visitor economy and generate incremental revenues for operators and government, TIABC needs the right mix of marketing investment, infrastructure and product development, access to labour, and policies that facilitate and enable success. That’s where TIABC comes in.

TIABC remains steadfast in its objective to create a policy and regulatory environment that allows tourism operators to grow and prosper, that provides job opportunities for all ages and skills, that generates economic impact in regions throughout British Columbia, and that helps communities develop in manageable and sustainable ways.

Joining as a member enables TIABC to support important advocacy efforts on behalf of the entire visitor economy.

Due to the difficulties the tourism industry has faced since early 2020, TIABC has extended various payment options to members if required.

Tourism Insurance Survey - Close September 24

The Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) and the Provincial and Territorial Tourism Industry Association (PTTIA) that includes TIABC, have formed a task force on the issue of rising insurance premiums in the tourism industry.

We are continuing to hear from operators concerned with commercial insurance access, premium increase, and limited liability coverage. Insurance is a fundamental element in the industry’s ability to build back stronger post pandemic.

To help with TIABC's advocacy work on this issue, please complete this survey by September 24.

We also request that you share the survey link with others who have concerns to ensure as robust a response as possible. Thank you for your time and input.

Tourism Sector Step 3 Toolkit: Proof of Vaccination Update

The Tourism Industry Association of BC, BC Hotel Association, Destination BC, BC Regional Tourism Secretariat (including TOTA), and Indigenous Tourism BC are pleased to share an updated version of the Step 3 Tourism Industry Toolkit reflecting Proof of Vaccination.

It serves to be a quick guide for tourism operators on communications, health and safety, workforce and marketing. We hope this toolkit is helpful to you, and would be happy to hear any feedback or questions you might still have.

Joint Statement from the Tourism Sector

Continued Travel with Proof of Vaccination

Travel is part of our DNA. It gives us something to look forward to. It brings us joy to experience new places, new tastes, and new ideas. It’s the perfect antidote to recharge, connect with friends and families and create new memories. Tourism is fueled by people who are passionate about their work, their jobs are vital to local economies across British Columbia.

While vaccination records are required for specified events and licensed restaurants, and indoor mask requirements have returned, we are continuing to encourage British Columbians to safely travel across our province and to welcome our neighbours from coast to coast to coast, from the United States, and the rest of the world.

As always, we are encouraging the travelling public to know the requirements that are in place before they go, and for tourism operators to let people know ahead of time what is expected in terms of current regulations.

As the tourism sector continues to opens its doors, there’s a growing demand for workers and opportunities for British Columbians looking for jobs to be a part one of the province’s most important sectors. There is an incredible variety of work with options to suit a wide range of skills.

- Joint statement of: Brenda Baptiste, Chair, Indigenous Tourism BC; Walt Judas, CEO, Tourism Industry Association of BC; Ingrid Jarrett, President and CEO of the BC Hotel Association; Anthony Everett, Chair of the BC Regional Tourism Secretariat; and Richard Porges, President and CEO of Destination BC.