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Destination BC Bulletin 22: COVID-19
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Destination BC Welcomes New Members to the Board of Directors
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Destination BC is delighted to announce that two new members have joined our Board of Directors.
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Amy Blakeney is the CFO of Sun Peaks Resort, where she is responsible for the management of the resort and its associated mountain, real estate and hotel operations. She has over 20 years of public and private sector experience in senior financial roles in commercial real estate, insurance, healthcare, and tourism.
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Randy Wright is the President of the Harbour Air Group, a position he has held for over 20 years, overseeing the operations and business development of the company. He has over 40 years of experience in the travel, tourism and marine business.
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A day on the water: BC Lions enjoy a water taxi ride around Victoria's harbour following a whale watching trip
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BC Lions #exploreBC Influencer Trip
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As part of the Explore BC COVID-19 recovery campaign, Destination BC has been seeking out creative partnerships to reach a wide variety of audiences and encourage more people to get out and support tourism businesses throughout the province. With the cancellation of their 2020 season, we recently partnered with the BC Lions to send three players to spend some of their newfound free time exploring BC, to share their experiences on the team’s channels, and to encourage British Columbians to re-discover their home province.
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We're inspiring British Columbians to "get reacquainted with Richmond" in one of our latest videos
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Shining a Spotlight on BC Cities
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With the goal of encouraging locals to book trips and explore BC’s cities this fall, Destination BC has launched a series of videos. The first one focuses on Vancouver and was created in-house by our studio team, highlighting “what makes Vancouver so special”, and supporting Tourism Vancouver’s #VancouverComeBack initiative and partners in their ComeBack deals page. A video on Richmond was up next, which was created with Tourism Richmond’s input and creative agency 123West, and uses stunning imagery to showcase popular experiences to get “reacquainted with Richmond”.
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The videos have been shared across our consumer social media channels: Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Stay tuned for the third video in the series, showcasing BC’s capital city—Victoria!
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The Expore BC Interactive Map
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Interactive Map Enhancements on HelloBC
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In July 2020, we launched a new Explore BC Interactive Map on our consumer website: HelloBC.com. ‘Maps’ has consistently ranked as a top search result on the site and the Maps page is one of the most visited pages. The Interactive Map has been upgraded to better support businesses and industry, by integrating the Business Listings database with the geographic locations taxonomy, so that businesses are searchable by name and location.
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Krause Berry Farms & Estate Winery, Langley | Destination BC/Hubert Kang
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BC Content Hub: New Photos and Videos
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We recently initiated two photo and video shoots that will contribute to improving representation of BC’s diverse population in our public-facing materials. The first shoot took place along Highway 16 (from Prince George to Prince Rupert), featuring culinary, small town sightseeing, and outdoor activities. The second took place in the Fraser Valley and South Okanagan, featuring culinary, cultural experiences, and outdoor activities. The images are now available for tourism partner use on the BC Content Hub.
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To access these and all of Destination BC’s assets, log in to your account at BCContentHub.com and search by location or activity.
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Did You Know?
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We are frequently updating our collection of photography and video, and most of these assets are available for partner use for the promotion of tourism to and within British Columbia. For more information, visit Tools & Image Bank.
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We encourage tourism partner submissions of brand-aligned photo and video content, provided third-party usage and model releases are in place. By sharing your content with us and other tourism partners, your investment in content creation goes further and creates opportunities for broader promotion of your destination or business. For more information, contact [email protected].
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Listen to the call for the latest from Destination BC and partners
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Destination BC's Industry Call—Sept. 3
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On our latest industry call, Maya Lange, Destination BC's VP of Global Marketing, was joined by Krista Bax from go2HR, who spoke about the current hiring and the labour market landscape, and Michael J Ballingall, who shared how Big White has shifted their hiring practices ahead of the winter season. Maya also shared a marketing update on our summer and where we are heading with fall activities, plus some of the latest consumer research and a new webinar series.
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Biking on the Kettle Valley Trail in Christina Lake | Destination BC/Hubert Kang
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COVID-19 Research and Insights
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BC Public Perceptions: To monitor British Columbians' current views on travel and tourism, plus track travel and tourism behaviour intentions. Read the Wave 8 report here.
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Research Roundups: A roundup of research and articles each week related to the travel and tourism industry and COVID-19. Read the August 31 report here.
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NEW Digital Marketing Webinars!
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Destination BC is pleased to be offering new Digital Marketing webinar opportunities this fall and winter, to help small tourism businesses grow and succeed online.
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Manage your Online Presence: Tripadvisor and HelloBC.com | September 30 and January 13
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Walk through the process step-by-step to claim, create, and optimize your business listings on Tripadvisor and HelloBC.com.
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Get Your Local Business on Google Search and Maps | October 7 and January 20
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Explore Google My Business and connect with customers through Google Search and Maps. Get hands-on help creating or updating your business profile in this Grow with Google Webinar.
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Get the Most Out of Your Website | October 14 and January 27
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Whether you’ve had a website for 10 years or you’re just getting started, discover how to create a search-friendly website that drives user action and supports your goals.
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September is Disability Employment Month in BC
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Disability Employment Month is a time to celebrate and recognize inclusive employers and the important contribution people with disabilities make in the workplace. It’s also a chance to promote the resources and tools that employers can use to help reduce the barriers around inclusion and build better and more accessible workplaces. Visit the Accessible Tourism page on our Learning Centre to find resources, tools, and case studies to support and inspire your business to be accessible and inclusive for all employees and travellers.
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Latest Provincial Updates
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BC has extended the Provincial State of Emergency through the end of the day on September 15, 2020 to allow government to continue to take the necessary actions to keep British Columbians safe.
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A partnership between provincial and federal governments, 25 local governments and First Nations communities will bring 55 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to the northern and central regions of the province.
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People on Vancouver Island will have more options to plug in their electric vehicles (EV) as investment from all levels of government will see 28 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations installed in key locations across the Island.
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Removing marine debris and plastics to help sustain ocean health and protect community food harvest
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Shoreline Clean-up Protects Coastal Waters and Creates Jobs
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BC’s central coast, including the Great Bear Rainforest, is the focus of a unique partnership to rid the shoreline of marine debris. The Clean Coast, Clean Waters Initiative Fund (CCCW) helps small ship tour operators, Indigenous Nations, local communities and others participate in a $3.5-million cleanup of the shores of the central coast, including the increasing amounts of plastic waste. The cleanup also creates jobs and supports coastal communities as they recover from the pandemic
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The Small Ship Tour Operators Association (SSTOA) will conduct two marine debris removal expeditions, each up to 21 days, including nine vessels and more than 100 crew who will inspect and clean up to 1,000 kilometres, weather permitting, of remote shoreline around 100 small islands.
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A fleet of tourism ships have already landed on the Great Bear Rainforest’s outer coast as part of the project. With the blessing from Indigenous leaders in the region, the expedition expects to remove between 75 and 100 tons of marine waste, including plastics, from coastal beaches.
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Adaptive surf program in Tofino | Power To Be
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Adaptive Surf Program in Tofino
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With the support of YVR, Power to Be partnered with Spinal Cord Injury BC to offer an adaptive surf program in Tofino for four families from Vancouver and Victoria. Watch this incredible experience, all thanks to a combined effort from: YVR supporting the program, Pacific Coastal Airlines providing transportation and Pacific Surf Co. co-facilitating the adventure with Power to Be.
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ITAC Development Stimulus Fund
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The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) launched the COVID-19 Stimulus Development Fund to assist Indigenous tourism operators to invest in measures to minimize the impacts of the pandemic. Following the June 11 announcement of an additional $16 million for the Stimulus Development Fund, a second intake will run from August 19 - September 9, 2020. Existing applications do not have to reapply but you must follow a few simple steps to finalize your April 2020 application.
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The Fraser Canyon Teepee Escape and Great River Fishing Adventures | Destination BC/Hubert Kang
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Indigenous Tourism Specialist: Vancouver, Coast & Mountains
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Indigenous Tourism BC (ITBC) in partnership with the Vancouver, Coast & Mountains region and Destination BC is looking for a highly motivated individual to join their team. The Regional Tourism Specialist will collaborate with the local and regional tourism partners to grow and enhance experience development and destination development through programs, services and projects in the Vancouver, Coast & Mountains region.
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Totem poles at Kitwanga | Northern BC Tourism/Abby Cooper
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Indigenous Tourism Specialist: Northern British Columbia
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ITBC and Northern BC Tourism Association are seeking a talented individual to support the advancement of a competitive, sustainable, and socially conscious Indigenous tourism industry in northern British Columbia. The Indigenous Tourism Specialist will work directly with the teams at Northern BC Tourism Association and ITBC to develop, support, and promote Indigenous tourism experiences and products from within the region.
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go2HR's Employer Survey will close on September 18, 2020.
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Help Shape the Future of go2HR
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After a year of transition, go2HR is charting a new course and needs your input on how to best meet the needs of industry through their 2020 strategic plan. If you are a tourism or hospitality employer, please complete the 15-minute survey to offer your insights on the key human resource issues facing the industry and how go2HR can best help the industry in dealing with these issues going forward. The survey is open until September 18, 2020.
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Psychological Support Toolkit for Workers and Employers: COVID-19
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To support mental health and wellness in the workplace, go2HR is backing a new Psychological Support Toolkit For Workers and Employers: COVID-19, delivered in partnership between the BC Municipal Safety Association (BCMSA) and workplace mental health expert Diana Vissers, Work to Wellness. The free multimedia interactive platform provides education, tools and resources.
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Northern BC Tourism/Mike Seehagel
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Canadian Camping Appreciation Weekend
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From September 11-13, privately operated campgrounds coast-to-coast are participating in the 2020 Canadian Camping Appreciation Weekend to celebrate the camping and RVing lifestyle! The Camping Appreciation Weekend is a national initiative coordinated by the Canadian Camping and RV Council and supported by the Camping and RVing BC Coalition to say thank you to campers for their patronage over the summer.
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Destination BC COVID-19 Communications
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Here's how to stay connected on the latest from Destination BC:
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If you have questions that can't be answered through the various resources on our website and official channels, please send them to [email protected] and we will work to address them.
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