Why Perspective Matters: Helping Travellers Understand the Scale of British Columbia During Emergencies
Understanding the Scale of British Columbia
When travellers see news coverage about wildfires in British Columbia, they may assume the entire province is affected.
This is a challenge many tourism businesses and destinations are navigating during wildfire season.
A helpful response starts with context. British Columbia is one of the largest and most geographically diverse provinces in Canada. Conditions can vary significantly between communities, often separated by hundreds or even thousands of kilometres.
Rather than thinking about British Columbia as a single destination, travellers should be encouraged to focus on the specific area they plan to visit and to consult current, location-specific information before they travel.
British Columbia by the Numbers
Putting the size of the province into perspective can help travellers better understand why conditions in one region may not reflect conditions elsewhere.
- The United Kingdom could fit inside British Columbia nearly four times.
- British Columbia is approximately 2.6 times larger than Germany.
- British Columbia is larger than Washington, Oregon, and California combined.
- All four Atlantic provinces could fit within British Columbia, with room to spare.
Download Consumer Outreach Images
To support conversations with travellers, Destination BC has created a collection of graphics that illustrate the scale of British Columbia compared with other countries and regions.
Tourism businesses, destination management organizations, visitor centres, and industry partners are encouraged to use these assets in consumer communications, websites, social media channels, newsletters, and visitor outreach materials.
How Tourism Businesses Can Help
Tourism businesses can play an important role in helping travellers access accurate, timely information.
Consider the following actions:
- Share destination-specific updates and clearly indicate the date and time information was published.
- Direct visitors to official information sources for current travel, weather, wildfire, and emergency information.
- Highlight alternative destinations, experiences, or travel dates when visitor plans may be affected.
- Encourage travellers to connect with local visitor centres for current, on-the-ground information.
- Ensure websites, booking channels, and social media platforms reflect the most current operating status and visitor information.
Trusted Information Sources
When communicating with travellers, direct them to official sources for the latest information:
Supporting Informed Travel Decisions
Most destinations across British Columbia remain open and ready to welcome visitors.
By providing accurate, destination-specific information and helping travellers understand the scale of the province, tourism businesses can support informed decision-making based on conditions in the area visitors plan to explore, rather than assumptions about British Columbia as a whole.
