Destination BC Partners with Destination Canada to Announce New Funding for Domestic Tourism Marketing

Vancouver—Destination BC and Destination Canada have announced a new partnership to increase funding for domestic marketing programs. Over the next 18 months, Destination Canada will invest $30 million with Canada’s Provincial and Territorial Marketing Organizations  to support the recovery of communities across the nation.

From this program, Destination BC is receiving $6 million, to be distributed as follows:

• $4.5M will be allocated to BC’s largest City/Community Destination Marketing Organisations (CDMOs), that generate 74% of industry revenues and employment. These include: Vancouver, Whistler, Victoria, Kelowna, Kamloops, Tofino/Ucluelet, Richmond and Prince George.
• $1.5M will be allocated to BC’s 47 Community Consortia (covering over 140 communities across BC) and 15 tourism experience Sectors who are participating in Destination BC’s Co-Op Marketing Partnerships program for 2020/21.  The $1.5M from Destination Canada will be matched by $1.5M from Destination BC and will be added to the $4.76 Million already allocated for Destination BC’s Co-op Marketing program, now with relaxed requirements for community matching. In total, this means $7.76M will be available to Community Consortia and Sectors for locally-driven marketing programs supporting provincial and federal tourism goals. Details of the program will be available later this week.

Marketing initiatives will align with Destination Canada’s national brand, Canada. For Glowing Hearts., with BC-specific content to encourage residents to explore their own province. Activities will also align with Destination BC’s own $6 million Explore BC domestic marketing campaign, to be rolled out in Phase 3 of BC’s Restart Plan, once intra-provincial travel is permitted, and for communities that are ready to receive visitors. Destination BC will be working with BC communities and tourism partners on the rollout, in the coming weeks.

Destination BC has worked closely with its provincial/territorial counterparts and Destination Canada, throughout the pandemic, to develop strategies for tourism recovery and resilience. Typically, Destination Canada solely focuses on international marketing, and does not invest in domestic campaigns. Given the impact of COVID-19 and the current closure of international borders, Destination BC helped Destination Canada to create a national model for driving domestic tourism.

The funding comes on the heels of major support announcements made during Tourism Week, including $10 M from the BC Provincial Government to support CDMOs, and funding for the BC’s Visitor Centre Network and Tourism Sector Associations, from Destination BC.

Quotes:

Honourable Lisa Beare, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture

“When you support tourism, you support the people behind the small businesses that make up the foundation of our province. This new partnership between Destination Canada and Destination BC will play a vital role in re-starting British Columbia’s tourism economy, supporting businesses across the province, helping residents to explore BC once it is safe to do so.”

Marsha Walden, CEO, Destination BC

“Destination BC has enjoyed a long and collaborative relationship with Destination Canada, and has worked closely with their team for over a month to bring forward suggestions and ideas on the most effective opportunities for a domestic tourism marketing partnership. We’re thrilled to see that they’re moving forward on this initiative, and providing much needed funding to BC’s tourism communities.”

David Robinson, Interim President and CEO, Destination Canada

“The leadership team at Destination BC continues to demonstrate their progressive approach as an organization and partner. For years we have collectively laid the groundwork for a more effective and collaborative working ethos that is serving our country’s and our province’s tourism industry especially well during this crisis.”

Nancy Small, CEO, Tourism Richmond and Chair, BC Destination Marketing Organization Association

Communities across the province are the lifeblood of BC’s tourism industry and they have been devastated by the global pandemic as travel has come to a standstill. This funding is welcome news as our Community Destination Marketing Associations look to collaborate with our industry partners to create campaigns and innovative programs that will welcome visitors back in the weeks and months to come.

Links and Resources:

• Destination BC COVID-19 resource hub
• Destination BC’s Response, Recovery, Resilience plan
• #exploreBClocal video
• Photos

About Destination BC:

Destination BC is a provincially funded, industry-led Crown corporation that supports a strong and competitive future for BC’s tourism industry through a combination of global marketing, destination development, industry learning, cooperative community-based programs, and visitor servicing. Destination BC receives approximately $52 million each year, out of a Provincial investment of about $140 million in BC’s tourism ecosystem as a whole. These investments help to improve the visitor experience, support businesses and communities, and strengthen BC’s worldwide reputation as a destination of choice. For more information about Destination BC’s programs and services, please visit: http://www.DestinationBC.ca/

For additional information, please contact:

Destination BC Media Relations
Email: Media.Relations@DestinationBC.ca