Today's update includes:
- Anchor Attractions Receive Financial Support
- Free Access to Accommodation Performance Tracking Data with STR
- #ICYMI | Wildfire Update
- Donations Needed | Wildfire Support & Relief
- Reminder | General Working Age to be Raised from 12 to 16 Beginning Oct.15,2021
- Apply Today | Tourism & Hospitality Relief
- Greater Vancouver Board of Trade | Remote Work is Here to Stay
- Webinar Recording| Rebates & Rising Energy Rates Speed Financial Recovery Through Sustainability
- Searching for Employees? Integral Hospitality Offering Outsourced Workers!
- Help the Tourism & Hospitality Industry Return to a New Normal & Win $1500
- Mark Your Calendars
- BC Hospitality Foundation | Tickets for Charity Online 50/50 Raffle on Sale Now
- Save the Date! | BC Tourism & Hospitality Conference, March 8-11, 2022
- Hiring in the Fall? Student Work Placement Program | FREE Information Session Aug 4
- Fore the Love of Tourism 15th Annual TIP Invitational Golf Tournament 2021
- Tipping Our Hat to Industry
- Thank you | Celebrating the Firefighters Working Tirelessly to Protect British Columbians
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Fairmont Launches new Exclusive Wedding Package with Neil Lane
- In the News
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BC Hotels face staff shortage CBC Vancouver, July 26, 2021
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B.C. wildfire evacuees scramble for hotels, The Globe and Mail, July 24, 2021
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B.C. hospitality industry facing major staff shortages just weeks before international tourists return, CTV Vancouver, July 25th
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Major redevelopment with luxury hotel envisioned next to Robson Square, Urbanized, July 20,2021
- Comment Card | Industry Thoughts & Feedback
- Last Laugh | Something to Make Members Smile
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Anchor Attractions Receive Financial Support |
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More than 80 anchor attractions and tour bus operators in BC will receive direct support for their recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
BC's anchor attractions play an important role in BC's economy by drawing visitors to communities and supporting local small businesses throughout the province. Tour bus companies are a key link to bring travellers to many of the regional destinations, attractions and experiences.
The Major Anchor Attractions Program, first announced in May 2021, was one of the seven calls to action from the Tourism Task Force. Grants of up to $1 million will be provided to both businesses and not-for-profits, including:
- 23 urban anchor attractions;
- 34 rural anchor attractions; and
- 26 tour bus operators.
Recipients include Butchart Gardens, International Dragon Boat Festival, the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE), Sea to Sky Gondola, Science World, Richmond Night Market, HR MacMillan Space Centre, Big White Ski Resort, Britannia Mine Museum, Hells Gate Airtram and Wilson’s Transportation.
Organizations can use the grants to pay for rent and utilities, payroll and costs related to restarting or ramping up operations and other business expenses that will help them recover from the impacts of the pandemic. For example, Richmond Night Market will use its $1-million grant to help it maintain its role as a significant attraction in the City of Richmond.
Since the start of the pandemic, the BC government has worked with industry to provide relief and support. As a reminder, in addition to the Major Anchors Attraction Program, the Province has provided the following:
- A $100-million tourism-specific stream under the Small and Medium Size Business Recovery Grant program.
- $5 million was allocated in dedicated relief funding delivered by Indigenous Tourism BC for Indigenous tourism businesses.
- $53 million has been invested in community-based tourism infrastructure and destination development to help tourism in B.C. recover, create jobs and spur economic development.
- The Province partnered with go2HR to design a COVID-19 safety certificate course for the tourism and hospitality workforce.
- Budget 2021 includes an additional $50 million in to support tourism recovery and $20 million for community-based tourism infrastructure.
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Free Access to Accommodation Performance Tracking Data with STR
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Accommodation operators have a unique opportunity to learn more about the performance of B.C.'s hotel, lodge, and B&B performance, with no cost to participate.
As we all move toward recovery, it’s never been more important to strategize around pricing and understanding whether to try and recoup occupancy rates or maintain room rates.
STR’s weekly reporting tool enables accommodation providers to see how their own property is performing against those within the local market - both geographic area and class of accommodation.
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How It Works
STR collects rooms available, rooms sold, and net room revenue on a monthly, weekly, and daily basis from participating hotels. Data is then fed back to all participants in reports - and via a personal dashboard. All individual hotel data remains confidential and is never released to a third party.
Submitting data assists not only participating properties, but also the local market and the entire province. Participation is fast and easy, taking less than 5 minutes a month.
Background
Weekly and monthly STR reports that detail accommodation performance across the province are provided to the Regional DMO partners each week by Symphony Tourism Services. The aim of the BCRTS partners, BCHA, and STR is to increase hotel participation so that quality and accuracy of data increases for everyone across British Columbia.
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#ICYMI | Wildfire Update & Resources |
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NEW EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS GUIDANCE FOR TOURISM OPERATORS
In response to BC’s provincial state of emergency, declared on July 20, Destination BC has prepared Emergency Messaging Guidance to help the tourism industry navigate questions, mitigate visitor concerns, and proactively manage perceptions.
KEEPING UPDATED VIA SOCIAL MEDIA
During emergencies, BC's tourism industry is an important conduit to official information sources for visitors. As part of this, DBC is encouraging industry partners to use the hashtag #RealTime________ (name of city/community) on social media to ensure current and future visitors have an accurate ‘real time’ visual on current conditions (blue skies, business as usual etc.).
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Add the date and time the photo was taken, and tag key tourism partners in your post (@DestinationBC on Twitter, @HelloBC on Instagram) and your Regional/Community DMO partners so it can be amplified.
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A CENTRAL HUB FOR TRUSTED RESOURCES | DBC'S EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PAGE
With the priority of ensuring that travelers have all the official resources they need to make informed decisions based on the latest, on-the-ground information, DBC has created and updated their Emergency Preparedness page. Consider this a fulsome resource to keep both yourself and your visitors informed over the course of the ongoing fire season.
Wildfire messaging guidance can be found on the webpage, along with safe and responsible travel graphics for you to use on your channels, a visitor-facing safe travel brochure (web and print version), and the links to DBC's Know Before You Go information.
QUESTIONS, COMMENTS & CONCERNS
This has been yet another challenging chapter for tourism businesses who are relying on a busy summer season to recover. We are here to help and are committed to advocating for your best interests. We encourage any operators with questions or concerns to reach out to us directly should you need any assistance at questions@bcha.com |
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REMINDER| General Working Age to be Raised from 12 to 16 Beginning Oct.15,2021 |
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FAST FACTS
- Effective October 15, 2021, changes to Employment Standards will raise the general working age in British Columbia from 12 to 16 and define the types of jobs appropriate for those under 16.
- These changes have been made to better protect young people working in BC and align the province with international standards for children’s employment.
- Youth aged 14 and 15 will be able to do many appropriate jobs, defined as "light work," with permission from a parent or guardian
- Youth aged 14 and 15 will only be permitted to do work outside the definition of light work with a permit from the Ministry of Labour's Employment Standards Branch.
Examples of “light work” include:
- food service work (e.g. busing tables, preparing food, dishwashing and serving food and non-alcoholic drinks)
- recreation and sports club work (e.g. lifeguard, coach, golf caddy, camp counsellor, referee and umpire)
- light farm and yard work (e.g. gardening, harvesting by hand, clearing leaves and snow, and grass cutting)
- administrative and secretarial work
- retail work (e.g. stocking shelves, packaging orders, laying out displays, sales and cashier)
- skilled and technical work (e.g. computer programmer, visual artists, graphic designer, writer and editor)
Of interest to the tourism sector:
14 and 15 year olds can do light maintenance including gardening, cleaning and tidying, attending to children, sports, recreation and camp-related work, among many other safe activities and occupations in the retail, accommodation and food services sectors.
There are no changes to a child’s ability to do babysitting or deliver newspapers part time, or for students working in a work study or work experience class, or for young performers in recorded and live entertainment. Children aged 12 and above can continue to be employed in a business or on a farm owned by an immediate family member, as long as the work meets the safety criteria set out in the regulation. A new streamlined online application for Child Permits will be launched in the coming month, to be ready for the October 15, 2021, date for the new rules.
The regulations have also narrowed the employment standards exclusion for home-care workers and sitters who provide care to an adult or a child in a private residence. This change ensures that caregivers who provide care averaging more than 15 hours per week will have the protections under the Employment Standards Act, while those providing in-home care and babysitting services for fewer hours can continue to work under more flexible arrangements.
The Ministry will be working on defining “hazardous work” for youth aged 16 to 18 in the coming months.
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CALL TO ACTION | Your Support Is Needed |
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Our collective voices are needed now more than ever to amplify the message to parliamentarians that continued financial support is needed to support hotels.
Over the summer, a strong local grassroots effort and engagement from hotel and tourism operators will be critical to build political pressure and support. We need to hear a clear commitment in the fall that the Government will support our hard hit sector through until the end of this pandemic.
We have three critical asks for you:
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Send a letter to your local Member of Parliament. It will take less than 1 minute to send. You can send a letter on the microsite: HardestHit.ca / DurementTouches.ca.
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Meet with your local Member of Parliament and tell them your business and employees will not survive without continued support. We need hundreds of meetings this summer and are relying on the mass of our coalition networks to make as much noise as possible.
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Spread the word on social media. Pre-written social media content can be found on our microsite: HardestHit.ca / DurementTouches.ca.
Everything you need to help guide you, including key talking points, meeting guide & tips, and other ways to get involved can be found in HAC’s Grassroots Advocacy Toolkit:
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Apply Today | Tourism & Hospitality Relief
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Greater Vancouver Board of Trade | Remote Work is Here to Stay |
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Prior to the pandemic, many companies would have said it was impossible for their staff to work from home. Just 16 months later, many of those same companies are trying to navigate the complexities of bringing their employees back into the office.
The latest blog post from the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, guest written by the team at BDC, unpacks the factors every business should be considering in their conversations about working from home. The piece goes in depth on the pros and cons of working from home for both businesses and their employees, and explains how the emergence of remote work has changed the market for job seekers and employers alike.
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Webinar Recording| Rebates & Rising Energy Rates Speed Financial Recovery Through Sustainability |
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Thank you all for registering and/or attending todays Rebates & Rising Energy Rates Webinar hosted by Angela Nagy, President and CEO of GreenStep Solutions.
During this information sessions, Angela outlined how accommodators can best take advantage of the BCHA GoGreen Program to cut high fixed costs now and in the future, as a way to adapt, survive, and thrive after the impacts of COVID-19.
She also shared details on the first three no-costs steps to getting started on a path toward sustainability, as well as immediate measures hotels can take that will result in quick wins and early savings.
Did you miss the session? Check out the recording below.
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Help the Tourism & Hospitality Industry Return to a New Normal & Win $1500 |
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Participate in the survey and enter into a draw for prizes valued at $1,500.
go2HR has been hard at work undertaking a Labour Market Information research project to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on our workforce. Even before COVID-19, the industry faced some significant human resource challenges. We know those challenges will only increase as we emerge from the pandemic.
We need your help!
We need to hear from a representative sample of employers across all sectors and regions of the province. We ask for assistance in sharing the survey with a wide variety of businesses in the province, and ask you to please share this survey with your members. It takes approximately 25 minutes to complete this survey. We want to hear about the impact of COVID-19 on your member’s operations, the human resource issues they face, and what can be done to help industry in dealing with these issues going forward. Any information provided will be held confidential, used only for the purpose of this study, and reported only in summary form with the responses of other respondents. Please help us spread the word!
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Integral Hospitality, a division of the Integral Services Group, have assisted a number of hotels throughout BC with their outsourced housekeeping needs.
Integral, a BCHA premier partner, recognizes the urgency that many accommodators are facing as we re-start domestic travel throughout the province.
Integral was able to help a BCHA member this week supplying two housekeepers to an Okanagan property within 24 hours. Please contact Brett Mollard directly at brett@integralservicesgroup.com
to learn more or visit their website here.
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Save the Date! | BC Tourism & Hospitality Conference, March 8-11, 2022
Mark your calendars! The 2022 BC Tourism & Hospitality Conference officially has a date. Taking place in Prince George, March 8-11, 2022, the conference will be an informative multi-day conference aimed at supporting growth and celebrating industry.
Stay tuned for further updates coming soon!
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Hiring in the Fall? Student Work Placement Program | FREE Information Session Aug 4
Looking to hire a student this Fall? f you need a little help, the Student Work Placement Program (SWPP) offers a wage subsidy of up to $7,500 towards hiring a student.
The SWPP has changed eligibility criteria, meaning your organization can probably access funding! On Wednesday, August 4, 2021 at 1:00pm PT for an information session on how the program works, eligible positions, and how to apply.
Brought to you by the Talent MATCH Program, the SWPP Info Session will feature representatives from two SWPP delivery partners: Cheryl Serpanchy, the Regional Coordinator at ICTC WIL Digital, and Louie Di Palma, the Director of SME Programs at the Talent Opportunities Program. They will review student positions their programs can fund, employer and student eligibility criteria, and how to apply.
This info session is free, but you must register for it here.
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BC Hospitality Foundation | Tickets for Charity Online 50/50 Raffle on Sale Now
Tickets are on sale for the BC Hospitality Foundation's first ever online 50/50 raffle. Purchase tickets here.
The raffle starts with a $1000 jackpot and increases with every ticket purchased until sales close on August 16, 2021. The initiative is a fundraiser for the BC Hospitality Foundation - the only charity of its kind in Canada, with a mission of supporting hospitality and tourism workers in need.
· 5 for $10
· 20 for $20
· 150 for $40
The winning name will be drawn at noon on August 17. Please support our hospitality and tourism sector by purchasing tickets and spreading the word about the raffle among your friends, family, and colleagues!
Funds raised by the event will be used by the BCHF to support hospitality industry workers facing financial crisis due to a serious health condition experienced by themselves or a family member. The registered charity also administers a scholarship program that fosters the development of the next generation of hospitality industry workers and leaders.
Learn more and purchase tickets here.
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Fore the Love of Tourism 15th Annual TIP Invitational Golf Tournament 2021
Join Partners in Tourism (TIP) at the beautiful Fairmont Chateau Whistler Golf Club Friday, August 27, 2021 for the 15th Annual Fore the Love of Tourism TIP Invitational Golf Tournament.
BACKGROUND:
Partners in Tourism – TIP Society was established in 2006 with the goal of fostering future generations of tourism professionals. Never has that been more important.
We are now seeing signs of recovery and in our collective spirit of optimism, we are again gathering for the Tourism Industry Partners (TIP) Invitational Golf Tournament to raise funds to support scholarships and awards to get the next generation back in the hospitality game.
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Since its inception, Partners in Tourism – TIP has provided funding in excess of $700,000 to support training, the purchase of equipment and financial assistance to hospitality students. The need has never been greater.
Let’s TIP the scales in favour of up-and-coming tourism and hotel professionals.
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Tipping Our Hat to Industry!
Have News You'd Like to Share? Contact Kelsey@bcha.com
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The BCHA recognizes the immense work that firefighters from across the province (and even internationally) are leading to protect all British Columbians and our precious wildlife.
Battling these flames in extreme heat while at the same time putting your life in danger is a level of service that knows no bounds. We are entirely grateful for this level of protection and commend every individual working to support vulnerable individuals during this challenging time.
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Fairmont Launches new Exclusive Wedding Package with Neil Lane
Renowned jewelry designer and bridal authority Neil Lane has teamed up with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts to offer the new “Fairmont Weddings, by Neil Lane” package, available exclusively at Fairmont properties across North & Central America.
Couples will experience the following exclusive to the “Fairmont Weddings, by Neil Lane” package:
- The first 10 couples with a confirmed booking of the package will receive a private one-on-one virtual consultation with Neil Lane
- Personalized consultation with an expert Fairmont Wedding Planner, who will coordinate wedding-celebration design inspired by one of Lane’s six signature styles — romantic, lavish, modern, elegant, rustic and vintage
- Design consultation with the wedding experts at Paper Source to personally tailor complimentary Save the Dates from the Neil Lane by Paper Source collection, inspired by a piece of vintage jewelry from Neil’s studio; also includes an exclusive 40-per-cent discount on wedding invitations
- A personal concierge assigned to look after all the couple’s needs throughout their stay
- A special private dinner with Fairmont executive chef, for the couple and four guests, to create a customized four-course menu for the wedding, including wine pairings and a custom-made wedding cake
- A cocktail-making session with one of Fairmont’s global tastemakers to create a one-of-a-kind bespoke cocktail inspired by the couple, to be served at the cocktail hour and reception
- A surprise midnight snack to cap off the wedding reception inspired by the couple’s favourite foods
- Fairmont-curated favours for the wedding party, including monogrammed robes, slippers, personalized Le Labo amenities, luxury pajamas, sleep masks and more
- A set of personalized collectible crystal flutes and rare vintage champagne, exclusively for the couple’s toasts
- A private shopping session for the engaged couple and their Best Man/Maid of Honor at the hotel or in partnership with a local luxury retailer
- Engagement photos on the grounds and/or in one of the hotel’s luxury suites, complete with pre-shoot hair and makeup — to potentially include exclusive access to areas not typically open to the public
- A surprise “sneak away” mini date planned especially for each couple
- Access to Fairmont’s Platinum Honeymoon Program
- A signed copy of the acclaimed book, “Style Your Wedding with Neil Lane”
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Hotels across the province are facing a new set of pandemic challenges this summer. While guests are returning to pre-pandemic levels, workers have not. As Isabelle Raghem reports, operators are scrambling to hire more staff.
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Ingrid Jarrett, president and chief executive of the BC Hotel Association, whose members represent the province’s 1,400 hotels, said people worried about wildfires encroaching on their vacations should instead go to unaffected areas like Vancouver, where just over a third of hotel rooms are currently occupied.
Pader Brach, executive director of regional operations at Emergency Management BC (EMBC), told reporters at a briefing Thursday that long journeys for evacuees are an unfortunate product of the unprecedented situation in the province, which is fighting 272 active fires. He asked evacuees to stay with family or friends if they have that option.
Oliver’s Mayor, Martin Johansen, said in an interview that EMBC is still trying to “wrap its head around” how to deal with a continuing flood of hundreds of new evacuees into the region. On a conference call Thursday with the agency, he said EMBC staff did not explain whether the new provincial state of emergency allows the agency to commandeer hotel rooms for evacuees.
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VANCOUVER -- B.C.'s hospitality industry is facing major staffing shortages just over two weeks before American tourists return.
Both restaurants and hotels are in desperate need of staff as current employees are being overworked, and service is compromised.
Lidia Ranallo is the co-owner of La Piazza Dario Ristorante at Vancouver’s Italian Cultural Centre. She said she has been aggressively looking to hire, but so far, has come up empty.
"I've spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on ads," Ranallo said. "It's really frustrating when you're looking for people and thinking people are looking for work and there's just nobody out there."
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The six-storey office and retail building at the highly prominent southwest corner of the intersection of Robson Street and Hornby Street in downtown Vancouver could see redevelopment.
Reliance Properties has acquired the 1979-built property at 815 Hornby Street, which helps bookend the western end of Robson Square and the new 800 Robson Street plaza.
Jon Stovell, the president and CEO of Reliance Properties, told Daily Hive Urbanized his company is in the process of selecting an international architectural firm to develop some redevelopment design concepts soon.
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