Tourism

(Northern Vancouver Island Tourism/Steven Fines)

B.C. tourism industry welcomes relief funding, but some businesses still need reprieve

Until travel restrictions lift, the tourism industry will still face continued struggle, industry says

  • Dec 24, 2020
(Northern Vancouver Island Tourism/Steven Fines)
A trail along Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park, southeast of Kelowna. Photo: Tourism BC

OPINION: Hoping for broader support and better days ahead for tourism sector

Now as we turn the page on 2020, there is room for optimism

  • Dec 22, 2020
A trail along Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park, southeast of Kelowna. Photo: Tourism BC
Susie Grynol, president of the Hotel Association of Canada, speaks at a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on April 30, 2018. The tourism industry was generally pleased this week about news that Ottawa would offer relief for the struggling sector, with the exception of Canada’s major airlines, which are still waiting for more targeted aid. “The industry was at a breaking point, and there were some very important measures in the Fall Economic Statement yesterday that will provide a deeper level of support for this industry,” said Susie Grynol, president and CEO of the Hotel Association of Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Tourism industry has mixed reaction to government aid measures

The government’s plan included specific measures for airports, such as rent relief

Susie Grynol, president of the Hotel Association of Canada, speaks at a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on April 30, 2018. The tourism industry was generally pleased this week about news that Ottawa would offer relief for the struggling sector, with the exception of Canada’s major airlines, which are still waiting for more targeted aid. “The industry was at a breaking point, and there were some very important measures in the Fall Economic Statement yesterday that will provide a deeper level of support for this industry,” said Susie Grynol, president and CEO of the Hotel Association of Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Kennedy Lake is a popular spot for tourists and locals alike, but more resources are needed to make sure those visiting the area are respecting their surroundings. (Westerly file photo)

Tofino-area First Nation considering closing doors to visitors again

Swamped with tourists, scared of COVID-19, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation says more support needed

Kennedy Lake is a popular spot for tourists and locals alike, but more resources are needed to make sure those visiting the area are respecting their surroundings. (Westerly file photo)
Local residents say a favourite local beach was swamped with out-of-towners on the August long weekend. Here the back end of a recreational trailer can be seen parked just a few feet from the water’s edge. Photo submitted

Residents fume as out-of-town visitors monopolize Arrow Lakes beaches

It’s becoming a problem across the regional district

Local residents say a favourite local beach was swamped with out-of-towners on the August long weekend. Here the back end of a recreational trailer can be seen parked just a few feet from the water’s edge. Photo submitted
Carver Ryan Villiers puts finishing touches on the lifelike chainsaw carving of John J. Rambo (played by Sylvester Stallone) before it was installed at Hope’s Memorial Park Aug. 14, 2020. (Emelie Peacock/Hope Standard)

Sylvester Stallone gives shout-out to new Rambo chainsaw carving in Hope, B.C.

Sylvester Stallone, the star behind John J. Rambo, “very proud” of newly installed red cedar work

Carver Ryan Villiers puts finishing touches on the lifelike chainsaw carving of John J. Rambo (played by Sylvester Stallone) before it was installed at Hope’s Memorial Park Aug. 14, 2020. (Emelie Peacock/Hope Standard)
Hesquiaht Harbour. (Hesquiaht First Nation)

Visitors and non-residents entering closed remote B.C. First Nation’s territories

With limited resources, they say they don’t have any authority or power to enforce the closures

  • Aug 6, 2020
Hesquiaht Harbour. (Hesquiaht First Nation)
MLA’s pen joint message on challenges the pandemic has placed on tourism in the Kootenays. (Black Press file image)

Phase three presents new opportunities for Kootenay tourism

Message from MLA Michelle Mungall and MLA Katrine Conroy

  • Aug 3, 2020
MLA’s pen joint message on challenges the pandemic has placed on tourism in the Kootenays. (Black Press file image)
Nelson is seeing a rise in tourism after the province moved to Phase 3 of its reopening plan. The majority of guests at The Adventure Hotel are coming from within B.C. Photo: Tyler Harper

Tourists returning to Nelson area as province slowly re-opens

Local accommodations are reporting more guests who are staying for shorter periods

Nelson is seeing a rise in tourism after the province moved to Phase 3 of its reopening plan. The majority of guests at The Adventure Hotel are coming from within B.C. Photo: Tyler Harper
Visitors Center along Hwy 5 to the town of Valemount, B.C., with the Cariboo Mountain range in background. (Village of Valemount/Wikimedia Commons)

Northern communities welcome tourists as province opens to in-B.C. travellers

Officials have asked British Columbians to be careful as they travel this summer

  • Jul 6, 2020
Visitors Center along Hwy 5 to the town of Valemount, B.C., with the Cariboo Mountain range in background. (Village of Valemount/Wikimedia Commons)
B.C. accommodators need phone lines to light up as in-province travel given green light

B.C. accommodators need phone lines to light up as in-province travel given green light

Travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic have decimated the tourism and hospitality industries

  • Jul 5, 2020
B.C. accommodators need phone lines to light up as in-province travel given green light
B.C. Premier John Horgan speaks about economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic at the B.C. legislature, June 17, 2020. (B.C. government)

B.C. Liberals criticize Horgan’s economic recovery plan for excluding tourism sector representation

The Economic Recovery Task Force began meeting weekly on conference calls in April

B.C. Premier John Horgan speaks about economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic at the B.C. legislature, June 17, 2020. (B.C. government)
Tourism Revelstoke is one of many Kootenay tourism organizations calling out the provincial government for ignoring the needs of the industry, in a letter sent to Premier John Horgan. (Liam Harrap/Revelstoke Review)

Kootenays tourism industry feels unheard: Letter to Premier

Tourism industry wants Albertan travellers to be welcomed when non-essential travel ban lifted

Tourism Revelstoke is one of many Kootenay tourism organizations calling out the provincial government for ignoring the needs of the industry, in a letter sent to Premier John Horgan. (Liam Harrap/Revelstoke Review)
Feds earmark $1.5M to support recovery of B.C., Indigenous tourism

Feds earmark $1.5M to support recovery of B.C., Indigenous tourism

B.C. money will be split between Vancouver Island and Indigenous tourism

Feds earmark $1.5M to support recovery of B.C., Indigenous tourism
The AIDAdiva cruise ship, on a 10-day trip from New York to Montreal, arrives in Halifax on Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

Large cruise ships barred from Canadian waters until end of October: Garneau

Last year 140 cruise ships brought more than two million visitors to Canadian ports

The AIDAdiva cruise ship, on a 10-day trip from New York to Montreal, arrives in Halifax on Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
(The Canadian Press)

Beach bummer: Novel coronavirus can live in water, but is it infectious?

Living in water and being infectious in water are different things

(The Canadian Press)
Jock Finlayson is executive vice president and chief policy officer of the Business Council of BC. (Submitted)

COLUMN: Residents should explore B.C. to help tourism industry amid COVID-19

Jock Finlayson is executive vice president and chief policy officer of the Business Council of BC

  • May 11, 2020
Jock Finlayson is executive vice president and chief policy officer of the Business Council of BC. (Submitted)
Dianna Ducs of Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism spoke with Nelson city council on April 20 with predictions of what COVID-19 will mean for local tourism. Photo: Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism

Tourism director presents sobering COVID-19 stats to Nelson council

Tourism won’t bounce back quickly after restrictions lifted, says Dianna Ducs

Dianna Ducs of Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism spoke with Nelson city council on April 20 with predictions of what COVID-19 will mean for local tourism. Photo: Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism
The Gwaii Haanas legacy totem pole is seen after being raised in Windy Bay, B.C., on Lyell Island in Haida Gwaii on August 15, 2013. As the COVID-19 pandemic forces remote British Columbia communities to close their borders to outsiders, Indigenous tourism companies along the coast say the federal government is leaving them behind. Tours for Haida Gwaii are normally booked well in advance due to high demand and the quota system placed on the area. The remoteness of the region also means it has a shorter tourism high season than other locations in the province. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Indigenous tourism being ignored by federal government, B.C. operators say

Tourism associations say little to nothing has been done to help their sector during the COVID-19 pandemic

The Gwaii Haanas legacy totem pole is seen after being raised in Windy Bay, B.C., on Lyell Island in Haida Gwaii on August 15, 2013. As the COVID-19 pandemic forces remote British Columbia communities to close their borders to outsiders, Indigenous tourism companies along the coast say the federal government is leaving them behind. Tours for Haida Gwaii are normally booked well in advance due to high demand and the quota system placed on the area. The remoteness of the region also means it has a shorter tourism high season than other locations in the province. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Farwell Canyon near Riske Creek, B.C. is a destination spot for tourists in the Cariboo Chilcotin. (Angie Mindus photo - Williams Lake Tribune)

‘Everybody’s in the same boat’: Tourism operators starting to see COVID-19 cancellations

Destination BC implementing multi-phased emergency management and recovery marketing plans

Farwell Canyon near Riske Creek, B.C. is a destination spot for tourists in the Cariboo Chilcotin. (Angie Mindus photo - Williams Lake Tribune)