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Directions: News from Destination BC
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Victoria on Fifth Street, behind Quadra Elementary School. Credit: Destination BC/@marcbaechtold.
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Destination BC Releases 2026–2028 Corporate Strategy to Grow Tourism Across British Columbia
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Destination BC’s 2026–2028 Corporate Strategy, Focused Growth, Lasting Impact, sets a clear direction for tourism growth in British Columbia — with a focus on growing tourism in all parts of BC year-round and increasing the benefits tourism delivers to people living in the province.
The strategy has two primary goals: grow tourism in all parts of BC during peak and off-peak seasons, and increase the benefits received by people living in BC from tourism. The long-term ambition of the strategy: sustainably double tourism revenues to $48 billion by 2036.
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The strategy's bold aspiration: to become the most compelling destination in the world, bringing people, culture, and nature closer together.
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Destination BC’s 2026 Annual Marketing Plan outlines how the new Marketing Strategy will be delivered in the year ahead. Marketing efforts will focus on attracting high-value travellers—particularly Outdoor Explorers and Refined Globetrotters—from priority markets including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Mexico and China.
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Now Available to the BC Tourism Industry by Request: Destination BC 2026 Marketing Plan & 2026-2028 Marketing Strategy
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Destination BC has released its 2026–2028 Marketing Strategy and 2026 Annual Marketing Plan, both available to the BC tourism industry by request.
Please note, Destination BC is limiting the distribution of the 2026 Marketing Plan and 2026-2028 Global Marketing Strategy to BC tourism businesses, sector associations, and destination management organizations only, as it contains proprietary information. To obtain a copy of the Marketing plan and/or three-year marketing strategy, please email [email protected].
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New Tools to Participate with Destination BC's Iconic Brands
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Curious about to how engage with BC's iconic destination brands? This week, we launched a new resource for industry partners to get involved. Start by learning about the brands, then integrate them into your marketing, align around our best guests for BC, improve your return on investment by partnering with us, leverage our global reach, and stay connected.
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To access the brand tools, sign the Consent & License Agreement. This one-time step gives you permission to use the brand tools with confidence and helps ensure the brands are used consistently across markets, protecting their integrity.
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Foundations of Inclusive Marketing Webinar
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BC DMOs: Want your marketing to resonate more deeply — and more accurately — with your target audiences? Join our 90‑minute webinar on April 16 at 10 AM for practical tools, examples, and strategies to make inclusion part of every stage of your marketing process.
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Destination BC Attends Key International Travel Media Event in Australia
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In late February in Sydney, Destination BC attended TravMedia’s IMM (International Media Marketplace), the leading global networking event connecting the travel industry with editors, journalists, broadcasters and content creators.
Given that Australia’s Socceroos play their first match of the tournament in Vancouver, the message from our team was to leverage the opportunity that FIFA World Cup 26™ presents for BC.
Destination BC’s Lizzie Doyle and Monica Leeck had one-on-one meetings with travel editors and writers, where we shared more about our strategy for the new iconic brands, and the opportunity to seize the attention of the Aussies and offer compelling reasons to visit BC and explore more.
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Australia is an important market for BC, as in 2023, Australians spent an estimated $348M in BC, with an estimated 180,000 Australians visiting BC in the same year.
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Travel media relations is an essential marketing channel to tell our brand story, build awareness, and encourage travellers to visit BC.
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Travel Media Coverage: January 2026
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We have a well-developed program to work with travel media – journalists or outlets who specialize in telling travel and lifestyle stories – to create exposure for BC as a destination of choice. In January, National Geographic featured Osoyoos as a winter oasis, following a press trip supported by Destination BC's Visiting Journalist Program. The Telegraph newspaper featured Vancouver Island and the Great Bear Rainforest in 'the world’s greatest wildlife holidays for 2026', also resulting from a press trip supported by Destination BC.
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FIFA Fan Festival™ Vancouver
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A free, accessible festival for all, from families to devoted football fans. Experience FIFA World Cup™ matches live on screens across the site, then keep the celebration going with live music and entertainment from Canadian and global artists throughout the grounds. Set within the historic PNE Grounds at Hastings Park, the FIFA Fan Festival™ Vancouver immerses you in football activations, elevated food and beverage offerings, and interactive experiences from commercial partners.
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The FIFA Fan Festival™ finds its home at the historic PNE grounds located in Hastings Park - a gathering place for Vancouverites for over a century.
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The British Columbia Tourism Football Club (BC Tourism FC), is a Tourism Consortium uniting Destination BC, Destination Vancouver, Indigenous Tourism BC, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture & Sport, the BC Destination Management Organization Association (BCDMOA), and the City of Vancouver.
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Vancouver's World Cup Experience Featured in International Travel Media
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Matador Network, an international travel media resource, shared a story about how travellers can enjoy the World Cup in Vancouver and extend their trips across British Columbia. This article is part of the work the BC Tourism FC is conducting, to ensure FIFA World Cup 26™ delivers meaningful benefits for British Columbia by showcasing our province on a global stage, boosting tourism, and creating lasting opportunities for communities.
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Tourism continues to contribute more to provincial GDP than several traditional resource sectors, including forestry and logging ($1.6 billion), agriculture and fishing ($3.0 billion), mining ($4.9 billion), and oil and gas ($5.2 billion), in real GDP terms.
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Tourism in BC: New 2024 Data Highlights a Growing Economic Engine and Lasting Community Impact
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Destination BC has released updated 2024 data through its Value of Tourism snapshot, highlighting tourism’s continued strength. In 2024, tourism generated $23 billion in revenue, up 4.2% from 2023. Tourism GDP reached nearly $8.0 billion in real (inflation-adjusted) terms, a 4.5% increase year over year.
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Destination BC Releases 2025 BC Resident Perceptions of Tourism Research Survey Results
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Destination BC has published the 2025 BC Resident Perceptions of Tourism province-wide survey findings, providing valuable insights into how residents perceive the economic, social/cultural, environmental, job/career, and Indigenous impacts of tourism. Key provincial highlights include: 81% agree the tourism industry supports local businesses in their community; 80% of respondents value the contributions visitors make to their local economy; 75% agree that the positive impacts of tourism in their community outweigh the negatives; and 71% believe tourism contributes positively to the quality of life of their community.
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Based on the fall 2025 survey, the findings from this research help tourism industry partners, destination management organizations, and policymakers better understand residents’ views on tourism and its role in communities.
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Destination Development Strategy: The Great Wilderness
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The Great Wilderness Destination Development Strategy outlines how the brand will be brought to life on the ground for visitors, the tourism industry, and communities. With emphasis on the three focus areas identified in the Iconics Destination Development Framework, encounters, experiences, and touchpoints, it serves to help the brand succeed on the ground through guiding the development of an enhanced visitor experience. It identifies experience development opportunities to deliver on the brand promise and sets out key priorities to make that happen.
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The Invest in Iconics Strategy is a long-term plan to sustainably grow tourism revenue in British Columbia by developing globally compelling travel routes and place brands.
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Provincial Government Launches Look West and Tourism Sector Action Plan
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The BC Government has shared Look West, a targeted plan designed to deliver major projects, create good jobs and strengthen BC and Canada’s economic security in the face of economic threats. Targeted sectors include tourism, with the intent to strengthen BC's tourism and outdoor recreation industry. Supporting this plan, the Province has also published the Tourism Sector Action Plan. Throughout the next decade, tourism will play a central role in diversifying markets and local economies while fueling growth. This targeted five-point plan sets the foundation for bold action to double tourism revenues by 2036, strengthen BC’s global position, attract investment, and create lasting economic benefits.
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Provincial Government Launches Look West and Tourism Sector Action Plan
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The BC Government has shared Look West, a targeted plan designed to deliver major projects, create good jobs and strengthen BC and Canada’s economic security in the face of economic threats. Targeted sectors include tourism, with the intent to strengthen BC's tourism and outdoor recreation industry. Supporting this plan, the Province has also published the Tourism Sector Action Plan. Throughout the next decade, tourism will play a central role in diversifying markets and local economies while fueling growth. This targeted five-point plan sets the foundation for bold action to double tourism revenues by 2036, strengthen BC’s global position, attract investment, and create lasting economic benefits.
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Tourism is one of British Columbia’s most dynamic and resilient sectors – creating jobs, supporting communities, and driving economic growth throughout the province.
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The awards recognize employees, sustainability, indigenous excellence, community contribution and impact, inclusive and accessible tourism, remarkable experiences, professional excellence, innovation, and culinary and agrotourism.
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2026 BC Tourism Industry Awards Winners Announced
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The Tourism Industry Association of British Columbia (TIABC) announced the winners of the 2026 BC Tourism Industry Awards during the 2026 BC Tourism Industry Conference Awards Gala, presented by Indigenous Tourism BC, on March 5, 2026. Ten awards were given out to recognize and celebrate the excellence, leadership, and innovation of operators and employees, showcasing the province’s most exceptional tourism industry leaders and positive change-makers. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners!
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WORTH Leadership Summit 2026
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Join Western Canada’s premier summit on April 1, advancing women in recreation, tourism, and hospitality. Together, we’ll spark passion, strengthen performance, and drive our industry forward toward a stronger, more inclusive future. The WORTH Leadership Summit brings together the people who power recreation, tourism, and hospitality, from rising talent to seasoned executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations committed to advancing women across the sector.
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2026 BC British Columbia Hotel Association (BCHA) Summit
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Taking place at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre in Nanaimo April 14 to 15, the BCHA Summit is the must-attend event for BC's hospitality industry, bringing together hoteliers, educators, suppliers, key industry stakeholders, and emerging leaders for thought-provoking sessions, valuable connections, and unforgettable experiences. This year's theme — Future Ready: Strategies for a Stronger, Smarter Sector — highlights the people, ideas, and opportunities that will elevate our industry.
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