British Columbia’s tourism industry is set to receive a boost with the launch of a new sustainability and resilience program. The initiative aims to provide training and mentoring opportunities to destinations across the province, enabling them to create a strong and just future for tourism. The program is collaborative between the Travel Foundation, the BC Regional Tourism Secretariat, and the Vancouver, Coast & Mountains region.

The program officially kicked off on March 16, 2023, with an introductory webinar featuring keynote speakers such as the Travel Foundation’s CEO, Jeremy Sampson, and Director of Global Programmes, Elke Dens. The webinar covered planning concepts and tips and was attended by over 60 community stakeholders across the province. More than 25 communities are set to participate in the workshop series that will continue until June 2023.

The capacity-building program is designed to help destinations and communities across BC maximize the benefits of tourism while identifying and managing potential risks. The program involves a series of four online workshops and one-to-one coaching for participants. Those who sign up for the program will receive access to a comprehensive handbook and workbook exercises that cover topics such as understanding and managing tourism’s impacts, destination stewardship principles, supporting tourism businesses to adapt, and product development and marketing for future-proofing destinations.

Kelly Galaski, program lead from the Travel Foundation, emphasized the importance of being prepared for the change in the tourism industry. “The pandemic taught us that for tourism to flourish, we need to be prepared for change, including changes to visitor flows and patterns caused by climate change and other future shocks,” Galaski said. “This program is both an answer to that need and a chance for destination stakeholders to come together to solve common challenges and ensure a better outcome for diverse communities and livelihoods, as well as the nature that we all depend on.”

Brian Cant, Acting President and CEO of 4VI highlighted the impact of climate change on BC’s tourism industry. “Communities across the province are already impacted by climate change, which has affected the tourism services and experiences being offered,” Cant said. “Through this fully funded program, communities will be able to face these challenges by building a sustainability strategy that looks to adapt and mitigate the global and local impacts of climate change.”

The funding for the program is from a multi-million-dollar community revitalization and tourism relief fund from the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada. The six tourism regions involved in the program also contribute to the costs of developing and executing the program.

The new tourism sustainability and resilience program is an essential step towards a thriving future for tourism in British Columbia. By providing training and mentoring opportunities to destinations across the province, the program aims to ensure that communities can fully benefit from tourism while mitigating potential risks and preparing for future changes.

Written by: Jason Smith

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