March 14, 2007
In this issue:

How to Attract, Retain and Develop a World-Class Workforce
Looking for Trails, Wildlife Viewing, Rare Bird Information
BC Restaurant Hall of Fame
VCM Publishing Report 2007-2008
Web Listing Opportunity - Enhance Your Presence on www.VCMBC.com!
Staff Profile - Jason Knibbs

How to Attract, Retain and Develop a World-Class Workforce

Tourism British Columbia, in partnership with go2, has released the newest Tourism Business Essentials guide, Employees First-The Essential Human Resources Guide for Tourism Operators. The guide provides British Columbia’s tourism employers with valuable information on how to attract, retain and develop a world-class workforce as we face increasing labour shortages.

With an easy-to-use format, the Employees First guide offers insights on great people practices from leading tourism operators as well as templates that enable tourism employers to put this knowledge to work. The guide demonstrates how tourism employers can successfully put employees first and reap the rewards in their tourism business and bottom line.

“The British Columbia tourism industry is in a 'never before' situation as there are skill shortages in every sector,” said Rick Lemon, Vice President, Visitor Services, Tourism British Columbia. “By incorporating and implementing the strategies in the Employees First guide, the tourism industry can be competitive for the best candidates so that it will continue to grow. We appreciate the human resources expertise of go2 in providing material for the guide that is relevant for today’s tourism employer.”

“To be truly successful in today’s labour climate,” said go2 CEO Arlene Keis, “organizations must put their employees first. Good people management practices outlined in the Employees First guide help to attract and retain top talent, and allow tourism employers to utilize the skills of their employees to better serve customers and meet business objectives. We are pleased to have collaborated with Tourism British Columbia on this guide.”

To order the Employees First guide or to learn more about the nine guides in the Tourism Business Essentials series visit, www.tourismbc.com/communitydevelopment.

Established by the tourism industry in April 2003, go2’s mission is to assist the tourism industry address challenges in attracting employees and retaining its workforce in order to support industry growth. For more information about go2, visit www.go2hr.ca.

Tourism British Columbia is a Crown corporation that operates under an industry-led board of directors and is responsible for marketing the Super, Natural British Columbia® brand to the world.

Looking for Trails, Wildlife Viewing, Rare Bird Information

Vancouver, Coast & Mountains Tourism Region is looking into producing two new niche product publications this year! One will feature Hiking & Backpacking in the region, the other will feature Wildlife Viewing. In order to make these publications the best they can be, we are researching trails, wildlife viewing areas, rare/endangered birds & animals in the area, as well as related businesses and tour operators, etc.

We are contacting you, our valued Partners, for information on these two topics for use in editorial, special features, etc. Please email Rebecca at rebecca@vcmbc.com with any information from your community on these topics. Also, if your business offers tours or services that would appeal to this market, or if you have any suggestions we would love to hear from you!

BC Restaurant Hall of Fame

On Monday, April 23, 2007, members of British Columbia’s culinary scene will gather to celebrate their finest at the third annual BC Restaurant Hall of Fame induction gala. “ The BC Restaurant industry is equal to the world stage. Throughout the years, the BC individuals contributing to its distinction have been recognized repeatedly. A great example of our vibrant restaurant industry and the excellence of the industry’s individuals are highlighted each year with the amount of nominees,” said Richard Floody, Chair, BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association.

Leading the list of the 2007 BC Restaurant Hall of Fame inductees are Jack Evrensel of the Top Table Group and the Fuller Family of Earls, Joeys and Saltlik, who are named in the Active Category, which celebrates the exceptional restaurateur who is currently active in the BC restaurant industry.

Inductees in the four categories (Active, Industry, Pioneer and Friend of the Industry) are:

Active
Celebrating exceptional restaurateurs currently active in the BC restaurant industry.

• Jack Evrensel – Top Table Group – Cin Cin / Blue water / West / Araxi’s
• The Fuller family – Bus / Stan / Jeff / Stewart - Earls , Joeys , Saltlik

Pioneer
Pioneers of the BC restaurant industry either retired or deceased.

• Glenn Anderson – Kettle of Fish, Anderson’s , Riley’s Café
• Jeffrey & Peter Barnett – Elephant & Castle
• Pulos Family ( Andy , Lee , & Peter ) – Spaghetti factory

Friend of the Industry
An individual who has provided exceptional support to the restaurant industry – either a supplier, restaurant reporter, or politician who has consistently supported BC’s restaurant industry.

• Don Bellamy – BCRFA and City of Vancouver Councilor
• Hans Konings – Konings Wholesale ( Sysco Vancouver )

Industry Award
Individual—retired, deceased or active—who is or has been a chef, server, manager, bartender and who has demonstrated exceptional professionalism working in the restaurant industry. These individuals are recognized for making their restaurant a special experience for customers.

Back of House (Tie)

• Rod Butters – Fresco Restaurant
• Robert Clark – C Restaurant and Nu Restaurant
• Pierre Dubrulle – Dubrulle Culinary School / La Gavroche

Front of House

• Bobby Copiak – Il Giardino
• Robert “ Frenchy “ Gagne – Joe Fortes

Lifetime Achievement Award (A new category)

• Bing Smith – Vitality Foodservice Canada Inc. / founder of BC Restaurant Hall of Fame

The BC Restaurant Hall of Fame celebrates and promote excellence in BC’s culinary traditions; pays tribute to the outstanding individuals, past and present, who have shaped this vibrant industry. Inductees are chosen by a panel of 75 judges made up of industry leaders from throughout the province.

The Hall of Fame presentations will be made during a special industry celebration on April 23, 2007 at Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre. The permanent home of the BC Restaurant Hall of Fame will be at the new Center of Excellence in Hospitality at the downtown campus of Vancouver Community College. For ticket information, please click here.

VCM Publishing Report 2007-2008

It would be a grand understatement to say that the last 4 months of 2006 were ‘a little busy’ in the Publishing Department at Vancouver, Coast & Mountains. Sleep was exchanged for many late nights and weekends spent completing editorial, proofing ads and finalizing layouts for not one, not two or three, but a total of nine publications - by far a record for the association. And while the Marketing staff at VCM put in their share of hard work, the majority of the credit must be given to West 2nd Design, who brought each publication to life, with countless hours of formatting, ad proofs and cutting edge design.

The flagship publication for the association is, of course, our annual Travel Guide. It rolled off the presses in late November at 104 pages, the largest ever! The Travel Guide would not be possible without the valued support of our Community Partners as well as our many individual Marketing Partner advertisers. In addition to the main editorial body of the guide, which is organized by destination area, there are also a number of niche product editorial features including Spas/Health & Wellness, Accessibility, Road Trips, Heritage/Arts & Culture, Family & Pet Friendly Travel and more.

The annual Golf Guide arrived with a new name for 2007, “Explore our Golf”. This new title was created to build on the Canadian Tourism Commission’s new brand identity, “Keep Exploring”. With 32 pages of stunning golf imagery and course information, Explore Our Golf has already been making its way into the hands of consumers at Spring golf shows in Portland, Long Beach, Edmonton, San Mateo, Toronto, Dallas, Seattle and Calgary.

Great Getaways, our Travel Agent’s Manual to Vancouver, Coast & Mountains is 16 pages of commissionable packages featuring the many spectacular experiences available in the region. From a Shop & Stay Getaway to a 5-Star Wilderness Experience, travel agents will find packages aimed at helping them customize their clients’ vacations, so their trips are as unique as they are.

New for 2007 are the Biking and Boating Directories, the first two guides in a series of niche product publications. Each guide is 40 pages of user-friendly information, complete with maps, designed to help the potential visitor plan their Biking or Boating adventure in Vancouver, Coast & Mountains.

Also new for this year is the Bed & Breakfast & Cottage Guide. The travel industry has seen a gradual increase in the visitor’s preference toward accommodations that offer more personal experiences and sometimes, more value for their money. The B&B Guide is a 64 page directory that points travelers in the right direction as they search for their perfect accommodation in Vancouver, Coast & Mountains.

Finally, back by popular demand is our family of Experience Guides. The Coast Mountain Circle Route Guide (32 pgs), Mighty Fraser Country Experience Guide (24 pgs) and the Sunshine Coast Experience Guide (24 pgs) offer suggested itineraries and routing for exploring our spectacular region. These guides are consistently among our most popular guides at visitor centres and consumer shows. For more details on recent and upcoming publications, please click here and, as always, feel free to contact Kristi Wilson (kristi@vcmbc.com) with any questions you may have.

WEB LISTING OPPORTUNITY - Enhance Your Presence on www.VCMBC.com!

Visitors use www.VCMBC.com to plan their trips, and while they're planning their trip, make sure that your business is highlighted!

www.VCMBC.com - the official website for the Vancouver, Coast & Mountains Tourism Region:

• Receives over 150,000 page views and 70,000 unique visitors per month
• Has over 500 pages of information about what to see and do in the region
• Many visitors spend up to 30 minutes looking for information on the site
• Due to the rich content on the site we regularly rank higher in search engines than many individual business sites

Listing Options Available:

1) Basic Listing: $96.00 + GST (annual), includes:

• Logo
• 2 photos (primary & sidebar)
• 175 words copy
• Contact information
• Hyperlink to your website

2) Enhanced Listing: $192.00 + GST (annual), includes:

• Logo
• 3 photos (2 primary & 1 sidebar)
• 300 words copy
• Sidebar text (fun facts)
• Rotation on vcmbc.com front page
• Downloadable PDF
• Contact information
• Hyperlink to your website

If you have more questions, or wish to enhance your presence on www.VCMBC.com, please click here (http://www.vcmbc.com/page.cfm/9680) or feel free to contact: Kelly Phillips at 604-484-5112 or by e-mail at kelly@vcmbc.com.

www.VCMBC.com – Site Statistics for 2006:

Unique Visitors – 813,322 (approx. 38% increase over 2005)
Page Views – 1,913,858 (approx. 32% increase over 2005)

Did You Know That ...

The majority of consumers (83%) use the Internet for researching and/or booking summer travel plans. And 67% of respondents indicated that they use the Internet as their primary resource for summer travel-related information. (Prospectiv CPI poll)

" ...over half (56 percent) of Canadian internet users have researched travel plans online and a large majority, 87 percent, will likely use the Internet to research a trip or vacation in the future..."

All Vancouver, Coast & Mountains advertising campaigns, publications and marketing projects direct inquiries to the website and we encourage all tourism businesses to consider this opportunity on the site for maximum exposure.

Now your afternoon chuckle… here is the very creative bio of Jason Knibbs, Sales Manager - Travel Trade

A 3rd generation competitive thumb-wrestler and descendant of gypsy carnival folk, Jason spent the first part of his life traveling from village to village, righting wrongs and dealing out his own brand of justice. A keen eye for future trends, Jason was one of the first to buy into the emerging movie rental craze that was soon to sweep the land. After stepping down as CEO of a chain of BETAMAX movie rental stores (“Much BETA than VHS!”), under mysterious circumstances, Jason returned to his first love – working as a bouncer at small town roadhouse bars, mostly in the Florida everglades. It was during this time that his legend grew - children wrote poems and sang songs about his daring deeds, villagers erected monuments to his greatness, parades were thrown in his honour, women swooned at the mere whisper of his name. Unfortunately, in 1989, an ill-advised intellectual property lawsuit launched against Patrick Swayze and the producers of the hit movie “Roadhouse” forced Jason to return to Canada and into his parents' basement.

For most people, enjoying the freedom to play SEGA Hockey all day, having their mom do their laundry and generally “rock out” to Rick Springfield’s “Working Class Dog” album sounds like paradise… not to Jason. The call of the open road was too much to resist and once again, he packed up his well worn copy of “Little Girl Lost” by Drew Barrymore and his autographed “TJ Hooker” cast photo and set out in search of adventure. With little practical knowledge or any actual definable skills (although armed with a diploma in Marketing Management from BCIT), Jason soon found work and acceptance in the tourism field. His “carney” upbringing suited him well as he conned such employers as Harbour Cruises and Grouse Mountain Resorts and finally Vancouver, Coast & Mountains into employment. As Sales Manager – Travel Trade, his role is to work with tour operators, travel agents, group tour leaders and tour wholesalers to extend the visitor’s stay by expanding product offerings into all destination areas of the region. Jason enjoys long walks on the beach, looking at fluffy clouds and believes squirrels are not to be trusted.