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Tourism Industry Conference: Resources and Next Steps from Destination BC
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View from Knox Mountain Park of Downtown Kelowna. Credit: Tourism Kelowna/Danika Lee.
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Thank you for attending the 2026 Tourism Industry Conference.
It was great to connect with partners from across BC’s tourism industry. We’re sharing the resources and presentations from the conference to support your work and your community.
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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 is to 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's 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 request access, email
[email protected]
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Stronger Tourism Brand: Presentation
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Shared at the Tourism Industry Conference on March 5, this presentation was led by Maya Lange, Vice President of Global Marketing; Leah Poulton, Director, Global Brand Strategy; and Hannah Wilkinson, Director, Global Integrated Marketing. In this session, they outlined our new three-year marketing strategy and 2026 plan. It includes:
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Our strengthened brand portfolio;
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BC’s Iconic brands; and
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How global moments, including the FIFA World Cup 2026, will support awareness and demand.
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The session also explored how brand-led storytelling, high-impact tentpole moments, and always-on engagement are being used to guide travellers to new destinations, support community readiness, and drive long-term, sustainable growth for tourism in British Columbia.
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The presentation reminded participants to focus on goals first, and data second.
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Data Led Destinations: From Overwhelmed to Actionable
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This session at the BC Tourism Industry Conference explored how to use tourism data to support decision-making. Presented on March 5, this discussion was led by Erin Hodgins, Director of Research & Analytics; Dr. Jarrett Bachman, Scholar-in-Residence; and Kelvin Mok, Manager, Digital Analytics. Key topics included:
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What data is available now and where to find it;
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What business questions still need better data; and
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Shared priorities for the industry.
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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 month, 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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The profiles also include data about the outbound travel market, including its size, growth, audience relevance, and key travel context for BC.
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Want to learn more about our key markets? These updated market profiles summarize the size of the market, volume and expenditures in BC, traveller and trip characteristics, market insights, and top trends.
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