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Recap from the Regional Tourism Leaders Forum

Okay, so you missed the recent Regional Tourism Leaders Forum in Gibsons and you have been hearing all about it from your industry partners. Here is a photographic glimpse at what really went on … to get you “in the know” and to possibly provide a few chuckles!

http://www.vcmbc.com/tourismforum/photogallery/RTLF2006/default.htm

Stay tuned for news about next years event – slated for Pemberton in June 2007!

Community Tourism Foundations in the News!

For communities that still have questions about the Community Tourism Foundations program, here is an article from the Agassiz Observer that might help you out! Please do not hesitate to call Shawna Leung (604-484-5360 or shawna@vcmbc.com) at any time if you have questions.

Agassiz Observer, Page 0001, 19-Jul-2006
Envisioning a tourist's dream

By Darla Dickinson
With warmer weather comes a horde of tourists, people that take up parking spaces, play on the beach, visit some farms and leave. But, with this influx also brings increased profit and revenue to the community. It is the recognition of just how important tourism is to both Harrison and Agassiz that the two communities entered into a program with Tourism B.C. The Community Tourism Foundation program is delivered by Tourism B.C. for the communities.

"Tourism B.C. is providing a service to our community and getting a handle on what we have in ways of tourism," says Stephanie Key the director of community and recreational services and the Agassiz representative for the project. "The first step is a situational analysis that looks at where we are at, what we are good at and where we are lacking."

So far there has been two meetings with tourism B.C. and local stakeholders from Harrison and Agassiz." So many of the people involved with tourism in the area are so busy trying to deal with the day to day aspects of their own business that it is difficult to do significant planning on where we (as a community) should be heading with tourism and this is an excellent opportunity to do this," says Ed Stenson, the Harrison representative for the project and general manager of Harrison Festival of the Arts.

Once the analysis is completed the next step will be to look at the issues it brought up Once the analysis is completed the next step will be to look at the issues it brought up and develop strategies on how to deal with them by looking at the current and potential opportunities and what can be done to bring it about." Out of this project we will have strategies for tourism operators in our area to look at. What we do with the information depends on the level of commitment from tourism operators as well as the municipalities to a certain extent," says Key.

For Harrison, the timing of the project is ideal. If all goes well the hotel tax application that went in will provide the infrastructure to follow through on some if these initiatives, says Stenson.

The first two meetings set the stage of where the communities are at and the third meeting will be the beginning of expanding the discussion and looking at the possibilities, for not just the two communities as separate entities but also how they can best work together.

"From a tourism point of view the two communities are connected so it makes sense to partner on this. We will be looking at the existing and potential connections that exist between us," says Key.

Both Harrison and Agassiz depend largely on tourism. "Tourism is a big part of our area and significant part of our economy," says Key.

The project also establishes a link with Tourism B.C. and provides them with information on communities throughout the province and the tourism opportunities that exist across the region. "There is no cost for this, it is all covered through tourism funding for this process. All we are doing is providing our time. It is a wonderful opportunity," says Key. and develop strategies on how to deal with them by looking at the current and potential opportunities and what can be done to bring it about.

"Out of this project we will have strategies for tourism operators in our area to look at. What we do with the information depends on the level of commitment from tourism operators as well as the municipalities to a certain extent," says Key.

Copyright 2006 Agassiz Observer

Trade Report

German “Canada Specialist” Familiarization (FAM) Tour – May 14-16

Vancouver, Coast & Mountains Travel Trade Manager, Jason Knibbs, hosted 14 tour operator delegates from Germany as they toured the Sunshine Coast in May. Each participant was the “Canada Specialist” from their organization and, for many it was their first visit to British Columbia and our region. According to the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) Germany office, the feedback from the participants was more than positive. The trip was rated as fabulous and extremely helpful from a professional point of view. All agents agreed that now they can provide their customers with much more first-hand information about Vancouver and the Vancouver, Coast & Mountains Tourism Region. The majority of participants have reported that their experiences on this tour will be highlighted in advertising and newsletters to their database of clients and potential clients throughout Germany.

The CTC’s objective for the “Canada Specialist” Program is to educate international travel agents to become specialists for Canadian tourism products and to motivate members to communicate and market their knowledge actively to their customers. Familiarization Tours are just one of the opportunities Vancouver, Coast & Mountains is using to help create a strong relationship with the trade and provide Canada Specialist members with first-hand knowledge of the region.

 

Tour Operators looking for Summer Fun in Vancouver, Coast & Mountains

Requests from tour operators have been arriving on a daily basis, looking for further information about the region. With the arrival of the summer travel season, most requests have been for activities and attractions in Greater Vancouver and for outdoor adventure opportunities such as kayaking, fishing, & river rafting from throughout the region. With shorter booking times an increasing trend in most markets, emphasis has been on the “free individual traveler” (FIT), looking for “self-drive” itineraries via rental car or RV rather than motor coach travel. Not only does this allow VCM to create more flexible itineraries for the tour operator, it gets their clients moving around the region and hopefully provides new ideas for future group tours.

Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA)

Vancouver, Coast & Mountains will again be attending the annual Student & Youth Travel Association (SYTA) convention held this year in Boston, MA, September 8-12 2006. SYTA is a non-profit, professional trade association whose mission is to promote and support integrity and professionalism among student and youth travel service providers and to promote quality student/youth travel services that enhance social, cultural, and educational growth.

Student & youth travel comprises school music groups and education trips as well as individual summer travel. Today’s increasingly sophisticated student traveler wants interactive school trips that take them outside traditional tourist routes to experience first-hand the culture, art, heritage and history of the region, according to a member survey by the Student and Youth Travel Association (SYTA).

Vancouver, Coast & Mountains is excited by the possibilities in this market, especially as Whistler, BC has been chosen as the site for the 2007 convention. Current active tour operator members of SYTA accounted for almost $2 billion US in student and youth travel in North America, providing trips for over 1.5 million participants each year. According to the Youth Tourism Consortium of Canada (YTCC), the market in Canada exceeds 12 billion, comprising 23% of the entire travel market.

In advance of the conference, Vancouver, Coast & Mountains will be updating our current S&YT sales literature. If you are a hotel, attraction, restaurant, cultural institution or activity/adventure supplier who is interested in reaching this market, please contact Jason Knibbs, Tour & Travel Manager – jason@vcmbc.com – before the end of August. We are especially in need of venues that have opportunities to host student music groups for performances (both that can supply A/V and venues that do not need microphones) and options for student evening activities. All interested partners must be “student friendly” and prepared to handle the unique needs of this market.

To learn more about on any of the above subjects or discuss any aspect of the Travel Trade Market, please feel free to contact Jason Knibbs, Tour & Travel Manager at jason@vcmbc.com or 604-484-5363

eMedia Update

The VCM makeover contestant has been revealed! If you've been reading our "Visual Media Updates" for the past few months, you will have read that www.VCMBC.com was getting a makeover. We have been working with Sage Internet and have completed the first phase of the project to reveal a much more current and attractive website. Check it out at www.VCMBC.com. Phase 1 was strictly a cosmetic makeover and initial reaction has been positive. Phase 2 is a complete structural overhaul. We'll be looking at navigational improvements, content enhancements and the use of new marketing tools, including blogging and RSS feeds. If you have any suggestions or feedback, we'd love to hear from you! Send any comments to Mary Ann Bell at maryann@vcmbc.com. In the meantime, take a look at the site stats for the first 6 months of the year.

Vcmbc.com - Site Statistics for Jan 1 - June 30, 2006

www.VCMBC.com, the offical website of Vancouver, Coast & Mountains Tourism Region, is packed full of valuable information to lure potential visitors to our region for their next vacation or getaway. From destination information and tips on where to stay & play to details about taxes, currency and passports, www.VCMBC.com can answer just about any question. Below is a snapshot of how many visitors used the site from January to June, what they were looking at and where they're coming from.

If you have more questions, or wish to enhance your presence on www.VCMBC.com, please feel free to contact Mary Ann at 604-638-6927 or by e-mail at maryann@vcmbc.com.

Unique Visitors - 427, 376 (increase of approx 54% over Jan - Jun 2005)
Page Views - 1, 016, 357

Demographics
1. US
2. Canada
3. UK
4. Australia
5. Netherlands

Most requested Editorial Pages
1. Home Page
2. Arts, Culture & Attractions
3. Accommodation
4. Sunshine Coast
5. Outdoor Experiences

Most requested Partner Pages
1. River Rock Casino
2. Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival
3. Luxury Adventure Vacation BC - A Fine Travel Company
4. Metropolis at Metrotown
5. Delta Vancouver Airport Hotel

Top Search engine referrals
1. Google
2. Yahoo
3. MSN

Top Search Terms
1. (other)
2. River Rock Casino
3. Bard on the Beach
4. Malaspina Coach Lines
5. Vancouver Zoo

Staff/Board Profile

Could it be something in the water? While business has been cruising along at top speed at Vancouver, Coast & Mountains (staff retreats, meetings, the Regional Tourism Leaders Forum), you might be surprised to learn how quickly things have been moving on the personal side of life.

Vancouver, Coast & Mountains is pleased to announce the weddings of three of its staff in the past few months!

Kevan Ridgway, President & CEO, wed Georgia Katz in a beautiful, beachside ceremony in Oregon on May 6, 2006.

Shawna Deagle, Director, Community Tourism Foundations, wed Jeff Leung (General Manager of West Trek Tours) on May 20, 2006 at a grand event in Vancouver. If you haven’t noticed yet, she has taken on Jeff’s name and is now known as Shawna Leung!

Jennifer Huitema, Director, Communications, wed Rusty Rhyne in a relaxed (surprisingly!), Catholic ceremony in Vancouver on June 16, 2006. Jennifer also has taken on her new husband’s name, and so became Jennifer Rhyne.

And, for those tourism partners who have been familiar with Vancouver, Coast & Mountains for some time, you may also remember working with Julia Retallack before she left the organization in 2002. Well, we like to keep in touch and Julia has joined our matrimonial list. She married Peter Donaldson on June 9, clad in black leather, at a motorcycle rally in Lake George, New York. We wish her all the best!

Congratulations to all our office newlyweds!