Accommodation Plastic Use and Reduction Survey

Accommodators in the Thompson Okanagan are invited to take the BC Hotel Association’s (BCHA) short survey on plastic use and sustainability.

Results from this survey will be used to assess the current landscape of plastic use and reduction efforts among accommodators, contributing to the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative (GTPI) annual reporting commitment.

Take the Accommodation Plastic Use and Reduction Survey.

Relief for BC wineries 2024 vintage

BC wineries will receive temporary support in response to the loss of grapes and damage to vines effective from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026. Wineries will be able to use grapes and grape juice from outside the province for the 2024 vintage year. This measure aims to help wineries produce a 2024 vintage, maintain job security, and ensure the continued availability of BC-produced wines.

“B.C. wine growers and wineries are an integral part of the province’s economy and this year they have been hit by devastating losses due to extreme weather events,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “By extending this support, we are providing badly needed help for our wineries during this challenging period. This relief for the 2024 vintage is essential to protect jobs and maintain the cultural and economic vitality this sector brings to our communities.”

Details on eligibility and related requirements will be available to the industry this fall.

Jasper Employees Seeking Work & Staff Accommodation

The wildfires in Jasper have displaced many residents and caused significant job losses in the tourism and hospitality sectors. These people will be searching for work during the recovery; many are currently living temporarily at campgrounds or in hotels.

Anderson Vacations is supporting affected employees by compiling a list of employment opportunities *that include staff accommodations* across BC and Alberta to help these displaced workers find new homes. Pet-friendly accommodations are in dire need.

If you are currently hiring for immediate (or soon) start AND have staff accommodations available, share your opportunity in this form: https://forms.gle/sq4AAGSmNRhd53zj8

If you know of places that have staff accommodation available, please share the form with them. Any information or connections you can share to help those find their next home and job would be invaluable.

This list of information will be shared on the Jasper Evacuees Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/499022265946978

The individuals will be directed to apply on their own to these listings through the contact information provided.

Please feel free to forward this email to your colleagues and peers who may have contacts within the industry to call upon. 

Note: This information has been shared with go2HR and TIABC.

Call for Tourism Companies - ESG Framework for Tourism Businesses

UN Tourism and the University of Oxford are inviting tourism businesses to join a collaborative project on sustainable tourism and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting.

Tourism businesses will have the opportunity to help create a standardized framework for ESG reporting by participating in brief interviews, surveys, focus group discussions, and field visits carried out between June and August 2024 by a team of experts from UN Tourism and the University of Oxford.

Interested businesses can read more about the ESG Framework or sign up to participate.

TIABC's One Minute Monitor (OMM)

TIABC's One Minute Monitor (OMM) is a short survey deployed as necessary to help us better understand members' views on pressing issues and to help inform policy development and prioritize advocacy activities.

QUESTION: Is your projected business (i.e. bookings, revenues) for the months of July, August and September up, down, or the same compared to the same period in 2023?

Osoyoos Tourism Master Plan to Focus on Benefits to Residents, Environment, and Business

Destination Osoyoos is set to present the Osoyoos Tourism Master Plan to the public in just a few months.

This first-ever, collaborative project represents an 18-month effort involving local businesses, cultural organizations, governments, Indigenous groups, and other tourism-related agencies. The project began in November 2022 with an examination of similar tourism-dependent communities including Ucluelet, Fernie, Tofino, Cranbrook, and others.

The Tourism Master Plan will focus on strategies to enhance destination appeal while delivering resident benefits, such as improving outdoor recreation opportunities; enhancing coordination and support for arts, culture, and heritage; and exploring new opportunities to diversify hospitality and travel industry experiences. Another key component is maintaining, diversifying, and improving industry resilience during peak summer travel, and also deepening the travel season into spring, fall, and winter.

For more information on the Tourism Master Plan, visit the Destination Osoyoos project information page.

Outdoor Recreation BC Guidance Toolkit for Engagement with Indigenous Communities

The Outdoor Recreation Council released a new guide offering recreation organizations a roadmap for advancing reconciliation objectives and tools for recreation organizations embarking on discussions and relationship building with First Nations at the community level.

The toolkit is part of an ongoing effort to provide guidance and resources to the outdoor recreation sector on working cooperatively with Indigenous governments and communities on outdoor recreation projects. The hope for the guide is to spark dialogue within groups and to help foster genuine collaboration within Indigenous communities.

Read the Guide

2024 Summer Travel Outlook for Canadian Destinations | Deloitte Report

With the arrival of summer, Deloitte has released the Canadian Summer Travel Outlook. The report provides excellent insights for Canadian destinations and tourism businesses.

Highlights include:

• Most Canadians (77%) expect to spend the same or more on summer travel this year.

• Safety, inclusivity, and accessibility are important to visitors: respectively, 88%, 52%, and 49% think about these concerns when planning a trip.

• Canadians find fitness/sports options, all-inclusive packages, nightlife options, beach/pool access, and personalized customer service lacking in travel destinations.

• 63% of Western Canadians are traveling within their own home region.

• 80% of Canadians prefer food and drink available from local farmers, chefs, wineries, and breweries

• Awareness of Indigenous tourism experiences is rising

• Canadians are generally positive about tourism within their own communities. 43% said the benefits of tourism outweighed the costs in their town or city. But another 43% said they were neutral on the issue – which means we all have work to do to educate people about the importance of tourism.

Water Conservation Toolkit

The Tourism Emergency Management Committee has created a Water Conservation Toolkit for the tourism industry, with resources, shareable graphics, tips, messaging, and steps that businesses and industry partners can take, to promote and participate in responsible water use.

Click here to access the full toolkit.

Partnership Opportunities: 2024-25 Resident Perceptions of Tourism Research Survey

There are partnership opportunities available for Regional and City Destination Management Organizations in BC to better understand how residents view tourism in their communities.

RDMOs and CDMOs can contact DBC’s research and analytics team leads to confirm their participation and get more information on the following partnership opportunities.

Learn more about partnership opportunities and contact information at DestinationBC.ca

Trails and Outdoor Recreation in BC - 2024 Ipsos Poll Results

According to a recent poll conducted for the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC (ORCBC), 56% of BC residents say access to trails and outdoor recreational amenities influenced their current choice of residence.

The new poll also shows that 89% of respondents are passionate about outdoor recreation and think that increased government investment in the development and maintenance of trails, parks and other recreation amenities will benefit them or their community.  

The top identified benefits included: improved physical and mental health (62%), protection of biodiversity and nature (50%), and support of the local economy, for example keeping residents spending locally rather than travelling (44%).

Community parks and trail networks (66%) emerged as the preferred recreational destination for BC residents who participated in outdoor recreation in the past 12 months, followed by beaches/coastal areas (48%), rivers/lakes (45%) and national/provincial parks (41%). 

Read more →

New Supports for People Evacuated Due to Emergencies

The Province of BC announced additional and faster support for people evacuated from their homes during an emergency.

To better support people who cannot meet their own needs during evacuations from wildfires and other climate emergencies, the Province is introducing several improved measures stemming from the Premier’s Expert Task Force on Emergencies, including:

• Introducing an accommodation allowance of $200 per night, which is available through Interac e-transfer or at reception centres. This will provide people with greater flexibility choosing where they stay during an evacuation, whether to stay with family or friends, find a hotel on their own or stay at a campground.  Alternatively, people can still receive a direct referral to a hotel or other accommodation from their local government or First Nation.

• A new Interac e-transfer direct deposit payment option for people who need help securing accommodation during large-scale evacuations. This will help cut down on long lineups at evacuation reception centres and allow people more flexibility and quicker access to emergency funds during an evacuation. People will also have the option of visiting a reception centre to receive financial support in person. 

• Updating and redesigning the EmergencyInfoBC website (https://www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca/) to improve user experience, especially on mobile devices. This includes introducing a new easy-to-use share feature, inviting people to share validated and accurate emergency information with their social network, such as X and Facebook.

People can access the Interac e-transfer support by creating a profile at https://ess.gov.bc.ca/. When there is a large-scale evacuation, people who have created an Emergency Support Services (ESS) profile can log into the online self-service registration tool to receive instructions about the types of supports available to them and how they can be accessed. People are encouraged to create a profile before an emergency as part of their preparedness. The online self-service registration tool may only be available during large-scale evacuations.

People are encouraged to consider getting home or tenant insurance, which is one of the best ways people can protect their families in the event of an emergency. In B.C, home insurance that provides coverage for fire damage and losses is widely available in every community across B.C. Both home and tenant insurance policies typically have additional coverage for living expenses while the person is under evacuation order.

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