One of my nephews lives on a fixed income that equates to working 20 hours a week at minimum wage. Three-quarters of his disability pay goes toward rent for a bachelor suite in the back of a small rancher in an old North Surrey neighbourhood. The remainder of his monthly income goes toward food, a transit pass and internet. Trust me, he knows how to stretch a dollar and happily accepts groceries and meals from extended family members from time-to-time.

Before securing his place, we spent some time looking at a multitude of suites he thought he could afford. I was not only shocked at what people were offering as shelter, but absolutely gobsmacked by what they were asking for monthly rent. My board and batten backyard shed is nicer than most of what I saw and I let the squirrels live for free.

Sadly, what I’ve described is not uncommon. Finding clean, secure, well maintained, and affordable places to rent is an enormous problem in nearly every part of the province. If you’re lucky enough to find something that meets your basic needs, chances are you’re bidding against a dozen or more other parties to snag it.

Decent, affordable housing is one of the major obstacles the tourism industry faces when it comes to recovering from the pandemic. While there are thousands of vacant jobs available in our sector, securing a place to live to work at a ski resort, hotel, attraction, restaurant or any other job, is akin to winning the lottery. It’s either luck, fluke, or good fortune if you manage to find suitable accommodation to unpack your stuff and settle in.

There are myriad reasons for the shortage of affordable housing and plenty of ways to resolve the problem. In either case, let me focus on one aspect of the file that TIABC has been actively engaged in since 2015.

You may have read in our Bulletin last week that the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) offered 13 requests for the province to consider in order to establish a regulatory framework for the short-term vacations sector. The organization suggests that while local governments have tools to regulate short-term rentals for vacationers and others, most lack the capacity to enforce them.

It goes on to say that the ever-expanding online accommodation bookings industry has reduced long-term rental housing capacity at a time when housing availability and costs are already under pressure. At the same time, a property’s earning potential from short-term rental use leads to higher prices in the market than local incomes can support. What’s more, local governments are unable to obtain complete and accurate data needed to understand exactly what is happening with short-term rentals in their own community.

Aside from the regulatory framework and access to data, UBCM also proposes that all online platforms publish their business license and/or permit, as well as collect the Municipal and Regional District Tax (MRDT) like other accommodation providers do.

Hallelujah! For local governments to advance these recommendations to the province is definitely welcome news for our sector. As you likely know, TIABC, BCHA, community DMOs and other stakeholders have been calling for similar measures for years, many times even appealing to individual communities to regulate and enforce bylaws in areas where the proliferation of short-term rentals, coupled with the lack of affordable housing is most acute. However, the one UBCM recommendation we oppose is the notion of investigating changes to MRDT and expanding the use of this revenue to offset impacts to housing and neighbourhoods.

MRDT was designed to help communities attract visitors or advance tourism projects and programs. Use of the tax was twice amended to help fund events and for affordable housing initiatives…the latter of which we do not support so as to avoid watering down MRDT even further. Conversely, TIABC has offered recommendations to various levels of government on how to address the affordable housing problem through regulation and other measures that don’t encroach on the aggregate tourism marketing eco-system. Nonetheless, we concur with most of UBCM’s recommendations and look forward to making some progress on this file with our local government allies.

For the record, TIABC is not against short-term vacation rentals provided they are regulated and don’t gobble up all of the monthly rental housing supply. Ironically, while short-term vacation rentals typically drive more tourists to communities, the corresponding lack of affordable housing for workers translates into staff shortages that often lead to a drop in service levels at tourism amenities, which can affect a destination’s reputation and ultimately future visitation.

As we continue to work toward recovery from the impacts of the pandemic, we need all the help we can get whether it be strong MRDT revenues, access to affordable housing, regulation where appropriate, more workers, and of course preserving our stellar reputation as a desirable destination. TIABC will continue to pursue every advocacy avenue to ensure we meet these objecties.

In case you’re curious, I’ve opened my home to my nephew for an extended period on two separate occasions. Frankly, he prefers to live by himself and is willing to use most of his income to enjoy the solitude and privacy that he craves. But should his rent increase by $50 or $100 a month, chances are he’ll be back until such time we can find him an affordable place where he can actually stand up and doesn’t need to go outside and through a separate basement entrance to use the bathroom.

Walt Judas

CEO, TIABC

TIABC CEO Walt Judas was a guest of CKNW's Mike Smyth yesterday to explain why BC's tourism and hospitality industry is supporting and leading the call to eliminate the PCR test requirements for travellers crossing the land border into Canada, and how the current regulations are impacting the tourism sector.

Listen to the full interview here.

CEO Walt Judas joined Adam Stirling of CFAX Radio today to explain why the current requirements for PCR-testing to enter Canada are too onerous and why they should be changed for fully vaccinated travellers.

Listen to the full interview here.

On November 10th, together with the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable (“The Roundtable”), leaders representing the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, Destination Vancouver, BCHA, and a Vancouver based travel agency, called on the federal government to remove unnecessary and non-science-based obstacles to international travel, such as the pre-departure PCR test for fully vaccinated travellers, that is threatening the survival of Vancouver businesses and freezing business travel.

In their press release, the group stressed how tourism and business travel have been an economic anchor for the Greater Vancouver area, which has sustained a reputation as one of Canada’s prime destinations for leisure, meetings, and event travellers.

However, since the onset of the pandemic, business operators in Vancouver who have come to rely on international visitors are facing another winter season of continued economic decline. The federal government’s mandatory pre-departure PCR test to enter the country is leading international travellers to do business elsewhere. More concerning is the fact that Canada’s travel rules are out of step with the international community, and our American neighbours to the south.

Many international businesses are finding it too burdensome to send their teams to Vancouver. As a result, businesses in Vancouver’s travel and tourism industry are bracing – yet again – for cancellations with international visitors looking to either cancel or delay long-awaited trips. This is making it difficult to resource, understand hiring needs and to predict demand. The pandemic, vaccination status, and available science have changed; so too should the response and measures to keep Canadians safe while allowing the travel and tourism industry to re-open.

Read the full CTTR Press Release here.

Dr. Henry: So, here's what I'm asking you to think about as we head towards the coming holiday season. Keep your indoor groups small. We know that indoors is more risky than outdoors. And, it's really important that if you do have an indoor group that people are vaccinated. That helps mitigate the risk of transmission.

You can spend time with your loved ones, and indeed you must spend time. We need to have that time together. But have a smaller gathering this year, perhaps with one or two of your family members, or other families, rather than the full big family reunion. And make sure everyone is vaccinated.

If you're wanting to spend time with your broader family and friends, then plan an outdoor activity instead of gathering inside where it's riskier. Go sledding or snowshoeing or hiking. We have many, many wonderful things that we can do outdoors safely, even in the winter months.

And if you're travelling to another community, whether for a day trip, for exercise, a holiday getaway, we need you to be a respectful traveller. We know how to do this. We have been through this now together for the last 20 months. We need to continue to be aware of the impact we are having on communities we're going to and the risks that we're bringing with us, and of course, the risks we bring home.

We must recognize that there are some communities right now that are dealing with very serious outbreaks of this virus still, particularly in the North, but also on Vancouver Island, in the Interior and in some areas of the Lower Mainland. And they may not be ready to accept visitors right now, so check before you go. That also includes following all of the public health orders. Just because things look different in a different community doesn't mean you can let your guard down.

Here in BC, respectful travel means being fully vaccinated, using your vaccine card if you're going in to access services or going to events in any community; wearing a mask in all indoor public venues, including local stores, ski hills. All of those areas where we know that extra layer protection is so important at this time of year as we're moving into respiratory season.

Reporter: I know you've been asked about this before, but different ski hills are now putting in different policies around vaccine cards. Some are requiring vaccine to ride the gondolas or chairlifts. Others are not. Is there any change in guidance around whether the vaccine card may be used at ski hills considering people are in close contact in these gondolas?

Dr. Henry: just around ski hills, I know we have been working with the local public health, so my colleagues in each of the areas where we have ski hills have been reviewing the safety plans with each individual ski hill and there's a couple of things that all of them must adhere to, regardless of where their headquarters are.

One of them is we have an indoor mask mandate and gondolas are like a public transit, for example, an area where mask wearing is required, absolutely, and that is the same across the board. As well, we know that most ski hills have a vaccine mandate for their workers, which is something that protects all of the workers on the hill. That's important as well. And the BC vaccine card is required in all of those settings where you have either a licensed premise, where you're serving food, restaurants, sit down restaurants, etc. So we know that there's very strong protection plans and my colleagues have been working with each of the ski hills to make sure that they are robust.

We also know -- we've seen this from last year when we didn't have immunization -- that skiing is not necessarily a higher risk activity. We're not seeing transmission outdoors, we're not seeing transmission in gondolas, even in the absence of vaccination. So it is very important to have those safety plans. It is a requirement to wear masks on gondolas, on ski lifts, in lineups when you're close to people, and are more and more important this year, of course, but we also encourage everybody who's going there to be vaccinated.

We know that traveling into the country you need to be vaccinated. We know that travel within the country now you need to be vaccinated. So those are all things that will protect us and I think that's a really important consideration as we go into this ski season, too.

Minister Dix: I'll just add to that, that Mayor Jack Crompton of Whistler called me today and we spent some time talking about this issue. He's advocating forcefully for his community, and I think it's also important for the employer, in that case, to respond to the wishes of the community, as well, and we're hopeful they'll do so. I know other ski hills across BC have done that.

Reporter: Small music venues in BC are wondering when the ban will be lifted on standing and dancing in their establishments. Fans in BC can stand, dance and sing at larger events. What is the difference between that and the smaller venue? BC will soon be the only place in Canada with these types of restrictions in place.

Henry: I actually don't agree that we're the only place in Canada, but we do know that those indoor events where you have people crowding together and dancing and singing, so the general admission, it is the same across the board for all venues. Those large venues, they must have seated areas in front of the stage. They cannot have the general admission mosh pit in front of a concert, and the application of that is the same across the board.

We are doing this incrementally. We know that indoor settings are riskier than outdoor settings. We know that the vaccine card is one of the ways that we can reduce and mitigate that risk, but it's not the same everywhere. We have to be mindful that some of these settings are riskier.

We are doing things in an incremental way. We're looking at things like the vaccination rates in the community, like the amount of virus that's circulating in the community, the ability of people to wear masks. Those are all things that I'm working with my colleagues across the province. We spent quite a bit of time this week, and we'll be looking at how do we harmonize these and make these stronger, but this is not the time to make major changes that increase risk dramatically.

It affects all of those venues across the board, where we are requiring people to have access to a seat, because when people are seated, the risk is that much lower than when you're mingling with people.

Don’t miss this fascinating panel discussion with MOSAIC and HR West facilitated by go2HR to learn more about the practical steps employers can take to embrace the principles of Equity, Inclusion and Diversity and take the essential first steps to create a more inclusive workplace.

November 10, 2021

We know that many of you are anxious to hear more details on the Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program. Please know that we are working with officials to get clarity on several questions around the new targeted support measures for tourism businesses. As I mentioned last week, the priorities are to completely understand which businesses will and will not qualify for the Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Fund, qualification questions for seasonal businesses, and the expected date to be open for applications.

TIAC and our regional and sectoral counterparts, including TIABC, have been active in the media following the opening of the United States land border opening to fully vaccinated travellers. We are pleased to see the border open, with the key goal being to rebuild the tourism industry in Canada to where it was pre-pandemic, and increase confidence in travel. However, we know that the cost-prohibitive pre-travel molecular tests are a barrier to both Canadians looking to cross into the U.S. coming back, and Americans wanting to travel to Canada.

TIAC continues to advocate for the removal of the PCR test required for re-entry into Canada for fully vaccinated travellers via all ports of entry. We are also asking that there be a level playing field in requirements across all modes of transportation be it by plane, car, boat or train.

In the cruise sector, we are aware that the advisory is hindering pieces of recovery, including the ability to get travel insurance. As we begin our meetings with the new Cabinet, this will be top of mind.

Please reach out with any comments or questions on our advocacy work at beth@tiac-aitc.ca.

A press release widely distributed on November 9th by the newly formed West Coast Hospitality Association announced they are presenting a proposal for a new Sustainability Fee Program to the district of Tofino this week, with the hope to implement a 1% charge on tourism bookings starting in January 2023.

For an initial four-year period, the funds raised by the Sustainability Fee Program will be collected by the West Coast Hospitality Association. 80% of these funds will be paid to the District of Tofino and used towards financing significant infrastructure needs for the community. The remaining 20% will be retained by the West Coast Hospitality Association for administration needs and donations to other sustainability initiatives within the community.

The West Coast Hospitality Association is united in its intention not to draw funds for these projects from the current Municipal and Regional District Tax, which provides funding for local tourism marketing, programs and projects, including the final year of the Visitor Centre construction costs, which help to amplify British Columbia’s tourism marketing efforts in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

The newly formed West Coast Hospitality Association is a member-based, not-for-profit society of fixed-roof accommodation providers, vacation rentals, campgrounds, RV parks and other businesses that rely on tourism for revenue streams and share a commitment to contribute directly to the well-being of their communities and destinations.

This past Wednesday, TJ Watt from the Ancient Forest Alliance was a guest presenter at TIABC's Wednesday Webinar Series. He delivered a compelling and visual journey through the landscapes and politics of BC's endangered ancient forests. If you didn't have the opportunity to join in, or would like to review the presentation again, please click the link below. Additional important links have been included:

On November 2nd, the provincial government announced that it would be working in partnership with First Nations to defer the harvest of 2.6 million hectares of BC’s most at-risk old growth forests. Logging deferrals are viewed as a temporary measure – as recommended in the 2020 Old Growth Strategic Review - to allow for the development of a new approach to sustainable forest management that prioritizes ecosystem health.

Mapping of the deferral areas, now available online here, has been shared with First Nations, who have been asked to indicate within the next 30 days whether or not they support the deferrals, require further engagement or would prefer to discuss deferrals in the context of existing treaties, agreements or other arrangements. The province has committed $12.69 million in capacity funding over the next three years to support this process.

Once the deferral period ends, the province will work with First Nations to provide clarity on what areas will be protected forever, areas that may support some harvesting under specified conditions and areas that can be accessed for sustainable timber management.

In follow up to the announcement, Forests Minister Katrine Conroy held regional calls on November 8th with local governments. The Minister shared details of the announcement, listened to community comments and concerns and answered questions about the deferral process. Recognizing that old growth deferrals will have an impact on BC communities, the Minister committed to providing a suite of supports to help forest workers, communities and First Nations including short term employment opportunities, education and skills training as well as retirement bridging.

Read the government announcement here.

Arts and culture groups throughout BC can look forward to new and enhanced spaces with $4 million to support the Arts Infrastructure Program.

This is the second year this funding has been made available in response to the needs of arts and culture groups. In 2020-21, the program had an initial budget of $2 million. However, an additional $2 million of one-time funding was made available, resulting in funding for 97 organizations and $4 million in support.

The Arts Infrastructure Program dedicates money that allows arts and cultural organizations to improve infrastructure, enhance safety features, increase accessibility, buy equipment and continue to offer virtual programming to contribute to BC's economic recovery.

Read the full news release here.

Earlier this month, the Wilderness Tourism Association of BC (WTA) launched the #bellyup campaign, an initiative that links the fate of the wild Pacific salmon and BC's tourism industry.

If you believe that the future of BC's tourism economy depends on the health of wild salmon and the ecosystem they support, you can get involved and support the WTA in this campaign.

WTA considers this a sustainability imperative for BC's tourism industry. They ask for support from any of the 19,000+ businesses and hundreds of thousands of employees in BC's tourism and hospitality sector who share their concerns and perspective, and also from environmental and other stakeholder groups in the Pacific Northwest.

TIAC launched its Elevating Canadian Experience (ECE) program to provide tourism stakeholders with free learning resources in culinary tourism and tools for the winter/shoulder seasons.

The ECE program provides content ranging from strategy development to practical tools and tips - all designed to help grow and adapt your tourism business as an operator and build tourism capacity in your region as a destination partner.

The latest module "Embracing Canada’s Winter and Shoulder Season" has been developed to assist tourism operators and destination partners in broadening the shoulders of your tourism season and provides valuable insights, worksheets, tips and strategies.

Click here to learn more and to download the Toolkit.

With the vaccine passport changing how businesses are operating, go2hr has updated BSAFE with a new module on how to handle the BC Proof of Vaccination public health order.

The new module is FREE for BC tourism and hospitality employers and employees and will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. In this module, you will learn:

Course details:

BSAFE is comprised of 6 modules that cover a variety of topics to give you a foundational understanding of COVID-19 health and safety protocols as well as tips on handling non-compliance.

To learn more or register for BSAFE, click here.

The Tourism Digital Academy is a free, 8-week digital marketing program for BC tourism businesses who are interested in building their knowledge and skills in digital marketing to an intermediate level.

Designed for business owners or their marketing team members, this comprehensive program is focused on providing practical, actionable guidance to complete your digital marketing plan. From setting your goals, to building a better understanding of SEO, website usability, content, email marketing, analytics and more.

The next intakes, which will run for 8 weeks, begin the week of January 10th & January 17th, 2022.

The BC Hospitality Foundation (BCHF) is pleased to announce that tickets for its online 50/50 raffle are now on sale. The raffle will start with a $1,000 jackpot and will increase with every ticket purchased above and beyond until sales close on November 15th.

The initiative is a fundraiser for the BCHF, which is the only charity of its kind in Canada, with a mission of supporting hospitality and tourism workers in need.

Tickets for the raffle will be:

Please support our hospitality and tourism sector by purchasing tickets. Funds raised by the event will be used by the BCHF to support 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.

Check here to purchase tickets and ticket win updates.

Cornucopia: Whistler’s Celebration of Food + Drink online auction is now LIVE. The auction will run from November 4 to 28, 2021. With the 1st section closing November 18th and the 2nd section opening on November 19 and closing on November 28th, 2021.

The BC Hospitality Foundation (BCHF) is grateful to be the Charity of Choice this year for Cornucopia: Whistler’s Celebration of Food + Drink.

To see the full list of auction items, please visit link. The items will be open for bidding in 2 lots:

Donations can be taken by using this donation link and items will be added throughout the month.

Due to the difficulties our industry has faced since early 2020, we have extended various payment options to members if required. Please contact Deborah to learn more about how we can assist you with your membership renewal, or if you are interested in becoming a member

We strongly encourage you to consider membership with TIABC to support our important advocacy efforts on behalf of the entire visitor economy.

There is no better example of what TIABC has done for you than in the last 18-months. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic TIABC has identified your concerns, raised your voice, championed your needs, pushing for support and programs while encouraging policy changes.

We thank you for your investment in our advocacy efforts. Our success depends on you.

Despite the ongoing challenges our industry continues to face as a result of the impacts of COVID, TIABC is heartened to observe the strength, resiliency and innovative means taking place today. This bulletin section highlights our members, new members or shares stories of how businesses and organizations, large and small are doing things in a new way as they guide their enterprises through the pandemic crisis and beyond.

Sandman Hotel Group is a Canadian hotel chain owned by Northland Properties. With the corporate headquarters based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the company currently has 47 properties across Canada under the brands Sandman Inns, Sandman Hotel & Suites, and Sandman Signature Hotels & Resorts.

In 1967, the first Sandman Inn opened in Smithers, British Columbia. The company rapidly expanded, opening at least one property every year. In 1976, a new tier of hotels was added to the company profile with Sandman Hotel Vancouver. In 2007, the Sandman Signature brand was added as a higher end brand.

Click here to learn more about the Sandman Hotel Group.

As an industry that continues to face enormous challenges during COVID-19, every once in awhile it's important to share a laugh, a good story, a beautiful image or an interesting anecdote to provide moments of levity during this most difficult time.

Need help bringing on new staff? Hiring students is a great way to build your team for short-term needs and to build a talent pipeline for the long term! And now you can access a wage subsidy of up to $7,500 through Propel, a brand new Student Work Placement Program (SWPP)!

Propel is offered through Tourism HR Canada, a Canadian organization with a mandate aimed at building a world-leading tourism workforce. Propel is specifically designed to support the tourism and hospitality sector.

Learn more about how your organization can take advantage of this federally funded wage subsidy program and how to bring on students from hospitality and tourism management, culinary arts, and other programs from across the province.

Date: Monday, November 15th at 2:00pm (Pacific).

Brought to you by the Talent MATCH Program, a collaboration between go2HR, the BC Museums Association, the BC Alliance for Arts + Culture, and the Association for Co-operative Education &

Register here for this free session.

How do we retain and develop women of recreation, tourism and hospitality in the worst labour crisis the industry has ever seen?

WORTH Association is inviting industry professionals to attend "Seat at the Table".

Date: Wednesday, November 17th from 9-11:30am (PT)

Attendees will create dialogue, gain broader perspectives and collaborate to develop creative solutions to challenges women face in the industry. The plan is to find answers from the community & for the community, and present these findings to key stakeholders to generate industry-wide attention and action. Researchers from Capilano University and The Sociable Scientist will be facilitating the session at the Vancouver Lookout. As an entirely volunteer-driven organization, WORTH is looking for sponsors to ensure this event is a success.

Click here to learn more about WORTH and the "Seat at the Table" opportunities.

Explore the results of BC's Collective Perspective Survey

Join BC's business community for an insightful virtual event featuring one of Canada’s most respected pollsters, Bruce Anderson of Abacus Data.

The BC Chamber of Commerce will share where businesses see cause for concern and provide insight into their longer-term vision for our economy. They will also explore trends in the BC economy and pinpoint where both start-ups and established businesses are feeling bullish.

Date: Thursday, November 18th, 4pm - 6pm (PT)

Click here to learn more and to register.

This webinar will provide tools for tourism businesses to develop and implement a sustainability management plan into their operations. Businesses will learn how to:

Date: Wednesday November 24th, 2021, 10:00am - 11:00am PST

Click here to register for this free event.

WorkBC Richmond, the BCHA, and the Richmond Public Library are pleased to connect job seekers and employers for an afternoon of engagement and networking at the Tourism and Hospitality Hiring Fair.

During this in-person, exhibition-format hiring fair, employers will have the opportunity to meet with over 200 candidates to cultivate employment interest, establish connections, and secure skilled workers.

Date and Location: Thursday, November 25 from 12:00 pm to 5:30 pm

Richmond Public Library, Brighouse Branch (100-7700 Minoru Gate)

There will be ten 25 minute time slots with a maximum of 20 job seekers per appointment time. A maximum of 10 employers will be in attendance.

For more information please contact:

Voting for the KRT Board of Directors opened today,

and will close on Thursday, November 18, 2021

at 5:00 PM Mountain Time / 4:00 PM Pacific Time

For this election, there are 6 nominees running for 5 seats.

For more information on the election, Board Nominees and to register, click here.

Join TIABC and the BCHA for a FREE state of the industry update, with a focus on recovery and trends. Gain critical insights into the work each organization has led, information about respective programs and benefits available to you, hear from our Keynote Speaker then network with industry colleagues.

The afternoon will include:

1pm – 2pm | TIABC AGM

2pm – 2:45pm | Keynote Speaker, Emile Gourieux of STR on global trends and recovery

3:00pm - 3:15 pm| Remarks by Hon. Melanie Mark, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture & Sport

3pm – 4pm | BCHA AGM & Live Industry Update presentation

4pm – 5pm | Industry Town Hall and Q&A

5pm – 6pm | Reception and networking

The Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) and BC Hotel Association (BCHA) are the voices of the provincial hospitality & tourism sectors at the federal, provincial, and community level, advocating for the best interests of BC’s accommodation and tourism communities.

Canyon Lights will soon be returning to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park.

Dates: Saturday, November 20th, 2021k to Sunday, January 23, 2022 (closed December 25).

New this season, the world-famous bridge will be lit, end to end, with a multi-colour changing display, adding to the magic of crossing the canyon above the illuminated Capilano River.

Journey into the rainforest and walk high above the forest floor between the eight tallest Christmas trees in the world on Treetops Adventure. The mesmerizing “Arc de Lumina” light tunnel will once again wrap its way along a portion of Cliffwalk. Perfect Instagram moments galore! Enjoy live festive tunes and explore the Park in search of lit snowy owls in the popular Snowy Owl Prowl scavenger hunt.

Tickets must be purchased in advance online, with a limited quantity of tickets available in 30-minute arrival increment. Click here for more information and to book your tickets.

This year's VCM Industry Forum will be held virtually, via Zoom. VCM will be sharing the latest updates from Destination BC teams as well as featured guest speaker Carol Anne Hilton, Founder and CEO of the Indigenomics Institute.

The registration deadline for the virtual Forum is 12:00 pm on Monday, Nov. 30th. Register here for the forum and feel free to share the link with colleagues in your organization who would benefit from attending.

The informal industry networking event at Glowbal Restaurant (590 West Georgia, Vancouver) will follow later in the day from 4:00 to 6:00 PM. It is an opportunity to reconnect with industry colleagues and the VCM team in-person, over light refreshments. Space will be limited for this event and will follow the latest health and safety guidelines.

Register for the networking event here.

This year’s Tourism Congress has two attendance options. You can join in person at the Westin Ottawa or connect through the user-friendly virtual platform!

The 2021 Tourism Congress will have the insightful and practical content you expect—and plenty of networking opportunities just like past events.

The new format is designed to be more inclusive. With the opportunity to connect from anywhere in the country and prices for every budget, so you can choose the level of participation that works best for you.

Click here for information and to register.

Mark your calendar for a virtual conference hosted by the SFI. This year’s theme, the Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative and BC’s Public Fishery, will be addressed by a range of speakers from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, the Province of BC, the Pacific Salmon Foundation and the SFI.

Date: Thursday, December 2nd at 1:00 pm (virtual)

The annual SFI conference is well recognized as an important public fishery management and policy forum where elected officials, public servants and those in the sport fishing industry share their perspectives on trends, innovations and issues facing BC’s public fishery. Attendance and registration are free, with thanks to our sponsors as noted below.

Registration and additional information, including a detailed agenda, will be available as the date approaches.

Destination Canada is hosting its Annual Public Meeting. While 2021 has continued to present the tourism industry with obstacles and setbacks, the easing of border restrictions and new vaccine mandates have led to positive progress for Canada’s visitor economy.

Hear about the impacts of the past year, and the vision for a more competitive sector to rebuild the tourism industry, both domestically and internationally.

Date: Wednesday, December 8, 2021 - 10:00 am - 11:00 am (PT)

Click here to learn more.

RVC+ is going hybrid in 2022! The new format will bring back in-person attendance, while also incorporating a virtual component, creating opportunities for more of industry to engage and make appointments with international buyers, travel trade media and Destination Marketing Companies.

The in-person portion of RVC+ will be a buyer-seated marketplace in Toronto, Ontario. This will be Canada’s RVC and hosted by Destination Canada and TIAC, creating an exciting opportunity to welcome international buyers back to Canada and showcase the beauty of this country, as well as the meaningful travel experiences offered across each province and territory.

Dates: May 24th - 27th, 2022

Learn more about Rendezvous Canada 2022 here.