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Directions: News from Destination BC |
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Norbury Lake Provincial Park alongside Wardner/Fort Steele Road. Credit: Kootenay Rockies Tourism/Aaron Hagen. |
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Tourism Week 2026: Industry Resources from Destination BC |
BC Tourism Week is an annual celebration of tourism in BC and across Canada. This year, it runs from April 20 to 24, 2026.
During this week, industry partners come together to champion and promote destinations in BC, tourism businesses, and employees.
We have prepared a range of ready-to-use resources for everyone, including key messaging, a content calendar, social media graphics, newsletter copy, videos, fact sheets, a downloadable Travel in BC pledge, and more. We look forward to celebrating tourism week with all of you! |
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Working jointly with The Tourism Industry Association of BC, Destination BC has prepared resources to celebrate the value of tourism and support industry in doing the same. |
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This coordinated rollout demonstrates Destination BC’s key role in international destination marketing, leveraging high-quality, story-driven content to position British Columbia as a place of meaningful, year-round travel. |
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Destination BC Activates Iconic Destination Brands Through New Global Content Programs |
Destination BC is bringing its iconic destination brands to life on the global stage through a suite of new content programs designed to inspire travel, deepen engagement, and drive consideration among key audiences.
Developed for Refined Globetrotters and Outdoor Explorers in priority international markets—including Germany, California, and the UK—these programs showcase the depth, diversity, and distinctiveness of each corner in British Columbia through rich storytelling, immersive visuals, and authentic local voices.
Multiple video series were created with emotionally compelling narratives and will have targeted distribution across platforms such as YouTube, Meta, and Pinterest.
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List your Event on SuperNaturalBC.com |
Destination BC’s consumer website, SuperNaturalBC.com, features events that inspire travel throughout BC. If you would like to share an event happening in your community, you are invited to review the Event Listing Guidelines on Destination BC’s Listings Portal and list your eligible event for free. |
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Eligible events must be open to the general public, designed for a general audience, held in-person, and available for a limited time. |
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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: February 2026 |
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 February, The Times recommended locations in Vancouver leading up to FIFA World Cup 26™, the Australian Financial Times covered the culinary scene in the Okanagan Valley, Condé Nast Traveler shared top ski resorts in BC, and much more. |
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Destination BC Leads Sessions Across the Visitor Services Network to Strengthen Visitor Services in BC |
Destination BC is bringing the province’s Visitor Services Network together in spring 2026 through a series of regional meetings designed to strengthen collaboration, share best practices, and support consistent, high quality visitor experiences throughout British Columbia.
Taking place in five communities, these in person sessions provide a valuable opportunity for visitor centre teams to connect, learn from one another, and consider how to collectively enhance visitor services in their destinations. |
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While each visitor centre serves its own community, the network is united by a shared goal to ensure every visitor to BC receives consistent, reliable, and exceptional service, no matter where they travel. These meetings play an important role in advancing that goal. |
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The kits include quality standard-grade pencil crayons and access to a digital travel guide that features local businesses, additional places to visit, and helpful maps. |
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Valleys & Vineyards “Spark” Program Winner Shannon Clark Will “Color Your Adventure” |
In 2025, Valleys & Vineyards “Spark” Mentorships & Grants Program winner, Shannon Clark, received a $3,000 seed grant and mentorship to help her get started with new tourism ideas. She created “Color Your Adventure”, a series of curated travel colouring kits featuring places and routes in BC available for purchase.
The adventure-based colouring kits feature 10 black-and-white, hand-drawn illustrations printed on 5×7 watercolour art paper cards, with information about the location and its historical significance included on the reverse side of each card. |
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Destination BC Launches Same Day Game Day to Help Visitors Travel to FIFA World Cup 26™ Matches from Communities Across BC |
Destination BC has launched Same Day Game Day, a coordinated program that makes it easier for visitors to attend FIFA World Cup 26™ matches at BC Place in Vancouver while staying in nearby communities.
Visitors can stay in communities such as Nanaimo, Victoria, Squamish, the Sunshine Coast, Whistler, Chilliwack, and Bowen Island, then travel to BC Place using coordinated transportation options – including ferries, seaplanes, and ground transportation – returning the same day. |
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The program highlights destinations within approximately one to two hours of BC Place, giving visitors flexible options to stay outside Vancouver and travel into the city for match day. |
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In early 2026, Destination BC delivered a coordinated in-market program across Sydney, Melbourne, and Auckland – spanning media, broadcast, and travel trade – to maximize BC’s visibility ahead of the tournament. |
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Destination BC Activates in Australia and New Zealand Ahead of FIFA World Cup 26™ |
With the FIFA World Cup 26™ approaching, Destination BC is actively building awareness and partnerships in key international markets to position BC as a premier host destination.
Australia and New Zealand represent strong and growing visitor markets for BC. With both the Socceroos and the All Whites scheduled to play matches in Vancouver in June 2026, Destination BC is leveraging this opportunity to drive travel demand, media coverage, and trade engagement.
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| Core international markets include the United States, Germany, the UK, Australia, Mexico, and China. |
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International Market Profiles |
The market profiles contain the latest information and highlights on Destination BC’s key markets. These profiles summarizes each target market, including the size of the market, volume and expenditures in BC, and traveller and trip characteristics. |
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Destination Development Strategy: Birthplace of Adventure |
The Birthplace of Adventure Destination Development Strategy outlines how the Birthplace of Adventure 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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Province of British Columbia Supporting Community-led Celebrations for the FIFA World Cup 2026 |
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People throughout BC will have more opportunities to experience the FIFA World Cup in their own communities. The 2026 Community Event Support Fund will provide $1.7 million in one-time funding to 32 municipalities, regional districts and First Nations to host free public events to ensure people throughout the province can participate in FIFA World Cup festivities. |
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Supporting Adventure Tourism in BC with New Permitting Hub |
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A new Adventure Tourism Hub is the next step in improving British Columbia’s permitting process, making it easier for businesses to seek land-tenure approval for popular tourism activities. These include heliskiing, cat skiing, heli-assisted guiding activities, commercial snowmobiling and snowmobile-assisted activities. The hub model builds off the work the Province has done that has resulted in reduced permit timelines for housing, connectivity and electrification projects. |
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A key message throughout the session was that reconciliation is shaped through everyday actions, conversations, and a willingness to build trust over time. |
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An ORCBC Guide to Citizen-Based Reconciliation Webinar |
What does reconciliation look like in practice on the land and water across British Columbia? That question was at the centre of a recent webinar hosted by the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC (ORCBC). The ORCBC Guide to Citizen-Based Reconciliation webinar brought together panelists from across the province to share real-world examples of collaboration between First Nations and outdoor recreation organizations. The session focused on how relationship-building can lead to meaningful and lasting change across BC’s outdoor recreation sector. |
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Tourism Industry Association of BC Celebrates 50 Years of Leadership and Advocacy |
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Congratulations to the Tourism Industry Association of British Columbia (TIABC), celebrating their 50th anniversary this year. This extraordinary milestone represents five decades as BC’s Voice of Tourism through leadership, collaboration, and advocacy for BC’s tourism industry. Throughout 2026, TIABC will commemorate its 50th anniversary with a series of initiatives, events, and storytelling that honour its rich history while celebrating the people, partnerships, and progress that define the organization today. |
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Indigenous Tourism Conference (ITC) |
Indigenous tourism starts in community — and ITC Cache Creek 2026 is built around that truth. Co-hosted with Bonaparte First Nation, the conference showcases how small, Nation-owned ventures can create jobs, strengthen culture, and build resilient local economies, while connecting delegates with the funding partners, training resources, and practical tools that support self-determined, community-led growth. |
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The 2026 BC Economic Summit brings together economic development professionals, local and Indigenous leaders, planners, consultants, and community partners from across British Columbia for four days of learning, connection, and practical insight. Hosted by the British Columbia Economic Development Association, the Summit focuses on the real-world challenges and opportunities facing communities today, including economic resilience and disaster recovery, workforce development, innovation, business retention, and community-driven growth. |
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