Tourism Week 2026: Meeting the People who Power Tourism

Inside BC Tourism Week: Seven Stories from People Shaping the Industry

As part of BC Tourism Week, we spoke with seven Destination British Columbia staff about what might surprise us about their work, their tourism industry experience, why their work matters, how their work it shapes their travel decisions, and three words that define their roles. Together, their insights share that tourism careers are inspiring, fun, dynamic, collaborative, and creative (and the list goes on!).

BC Tourism Week runs April 20 – 24, 2026. Join us in celebrating the people working in tourism and the industry’s impact across BC.

What would surprise people most about your role with Destination BC? 

Jarrett Bachman, Scholar-in-Residence: That it exists! I work at Destination BC through a unique secondment agreement between Fairleigh Dickinson University Vancouver and Destination BC. This agreement allows me time to collaborate with the teams here and contribute where my expertise is most useful. My role began four years ago, when I took a sabbatical from my tenured position as a university professor. I now spend part of my time working with teams to assist, advise, and strategize alongside my post-secondary work. I apply my academic lens to research and strategy projects and present the results in a way that’s meaningful to industry.

Lisa Cooper, Account Director: I’m the lead on the Destination BC account in our agency. We are an agency that DBC hired to represent them in public relations and marketing in the UK and Ireland. We’ve been working with DBC for over 11 years now. When I mention this work, that I represent the province of British Columbia, people find that quite surprising. I have the privilege of representing, promoting, and educating people about BC, which is amazing.

Gazal Dhillon, Research Analyst, Research & Analytics: I think research can have a bit of a boring impression, but I personally find it fascinating. You get to hear directly from people, and it often confirms or challenges your assumptions. It’s a great way to hear from people you want to reach, whether locally or abroad, and to pair the human aspect with numbers.

Kristen Learned, Communications and Strategic Engagement Specialist: From a communication perspective, it may surprise people to realize how much work goes on behind the scenes. Of course, we’re telling stories, but we also act as strategic advisors and counsellors within the organization and with industry, providing a bird’s-eye view across all initiatives. For nosy people, that’s a wonderful aspect of my role!

Mihir Kelkar, Senior Program Advisor, Visitor Services: That there is a close knit-network of almost 140 Visitor Centres across the province that work together to provide the best visitor experience in BC.

Brock Ellis, Manager, Brand Storytelling: There’s a lot of work that goes into telling a story. I think many people would be surprised by how many tourism team members collaborate to craft our stories. It’s not just one person writing. When we’re developing a story set in the Northern British Columbia region, we connect with the Destination Management Organization (DMO) and work with their team. Their involvement ensures that the stories are authentic and accurate.

Graeme Leathem, Manager of Digital Marketing Strategy: We have a responsibility to share the diversity of places and experiences you can have in BC, as well as the people and cultures that call BC home. That’s probably not expected from digital marketing.

What tourism jobs have you had during your career?

Jarrett: My first tourism job was in golf event management, followed by work at a comprehensive recreation facility in Breckenridge with ski, golf, and tennis, and co-founding a research consulting company. These experiences have allowed me to understand the practical, real-world side of tourism and tie it to the academic side.

Lisa: I’ve spent my entire career in tourism, starting with Virgin Atlantic, where I worked for more than 15 years. I started in reservations and eventually became the Head of Retail and Leisure Sales, supporting tour operators and travel agents. I also worked with an online agency before moving into destination focus.

Gazal: This is my first role working in tourism. I have worked on the agency side for market research, with tourism-related projects. The research focussed on traveller motivations, which piqued my interest as somebody who also enjoys travel. I hadn’t realized before that I could combine my interests in research and travel!

Kristen: This is my first full-time role in tourism. I previously worked with an agency with tourism clients, which provided a great stage-setting for me to come to DBC. Through that work, I saw the incredible experiences BC offers and the impact they have on the people who provide them and the communities they support.

Mihir: I started my career in tourism at a travel agency in India, selling and managing tours to destinations worldwide. More recently, I’ve worked with DMOs, promoting the incredible experiences found in Vancouver and throughout British Columbia.

Brock: This is my first role in tourism. I previously worked in outdoor retail and was excited to pursue a new career direction.

Graeme: With a passion for snowboarding, I started as a dishwasher at Whistler Blackcomb and spent seven years working on the mountain as an instructor, rental shop staff, and event coordinator. Sharing what I loved about Whistler and snowboarding was a catalyst for my career in tourism.

Why does this work matter to you personally?

Jarrett: What we do at Destination BC gets to make an impact on communities across the province. And that’s not something that a lot of organizations can say that they do.

Lisa: It’s the learning that travel provides. Travel offers one of the most valuable forms of education, giving people the chance to experience different cultures, histories and ways of life. I think that is one of the most important educational aspects that people can have.

Gazal: Travel is continually fascinating, so it’s easy to stay excited about work. My previous work was in market research in Amsterdam. Coming back to live and work here in BC was calling to me, so a few months before I started this role, I moved back here to BC. The prospect of being able to share my love for BC, and the things that drew me here, with others is a nice incentive.

Kristen: Getting to play any role in how a community defines itself, for both residents and visitors, is incredibly meaningful and transformative. I’ve also worked across other sectors, and I think nothing compares to tourism. It feels like we’re all working towards a shared goal, and when we talk about Team BC, it’s palpable.

Mihir: I believe that travel has the power to educate, broaden people’s perspectives, and foster greater understanding. It can be deeply inclusive and offer meaningful opportunities for people to learn about the destination’s history.

Brock: Within my first week at Destination BC, Vice President, Marketing, Maya Lange led a Tourism 101 session for us new hires, where I learned how tourism plays a major role in BC’s economy. It was a real lightbulb moment for me. I realized that there is greater meaning to the work we do, and a greater purpose for me as someone who wants to see the BC economy do well.

Graeme: I love sharing my passions and introducing others to the places I care about. But I also believe in the importance of sustainable tourism as an economic driver.

How has working in tourism changed the way that you travel?

Jarrett: This work inspires me to look farther afield into places I may not have known existed. Haida Gwaii is on my travel list, and having been at Destination BC, I know that it’s not a weekend trip. I want a week. I want to do it right. And a lot of that has come from learning things while being here.

Lisa: We try to keep things local, seeking hot spots and restaurants, taking public transit into cities, and always connecting with the locals. When exploring the province, I prefer to drive so I can stop wherever I like; I don’t want my travel dictated to me.

Gazal: It’s made me look beyond major hubs and open my eyes to other parts of BC as destinations. When I travel, I now also try to venture a bit farther beyond the community I am flying into.

Kristen: I’m always looking for know-before-you-go information whenever I’m going to a new destination, figuring out the official sources and the latest information. DMOs are experts at this, and they have the tools that can help you plan. I find myself going towards DMOs a lot more than I might have previously.

Mihir: Working in tourism has made me a more intentional and curious traveller. I pay closer attention to how destinations support visitors, value local perspectives, and provide accessible information. I also travel with more empathy, understanding the realities behind the scenes, and I try to leave each trip having learned something meaningful.

Brock: When I travel now, I look at operators differently. I want to know more about the person who owns that lodge or runs that business. I also look at who’s travelling and where they’re travelling from. I’m always chatting with people to find out where they are from.

Graeme: I enjoy Visitor Centers a lot more than I ever did. Visiting a Visitor Center gives you a sense of a place. Also, I remember travelling when I was a little kid, standing on the side of a mountain, and just being blown away that these massive things existed in real life. I think it was that moment that I knew I wanted to live in the mountains. Giving my kids those experiences that could shape and impact them, or spawn a lifestyle, or influence the life they want to live. Travel is a cool way to expose your kids to different things.

If you were to describe your work in three words, what would they be?

Jarrett: Fun, community and dynamic.

Lisa: Inspiration, education and feeling.

Gazal: Data-driven, investigative and collaborative.

Kristen: Ever-changing, collaborative and cool.

Mihir: Fun, collaborative, and dynamic.

Brock: Blessed, creative and collaborative.

Graeme: Complex, dynamic and creative.

Join us in celebrating Tourism Week 2026! Find information and resources you can share in our 2026 BC Tourism Week Toolkit.