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Jun 21, 2021

Letter of Appreciation to TIABC

Minister Mark

Advocacy

Dear Walt Judas and Vivek Sharma:


Thank you for your letter of June 7, 2021, regarding BC’s Restart Plan and the certainty it
provides to tourism and hospitality businesses. I greatly appreciate you taking the time to share
your feedback with me.


It has taken all of us paddling together to reach this pivotal point in the pandemic, where there is
a palpable sense of hope and optimism for the future, not only for us as leaders who have worked
so hard to guide our industry through this pandemic, but also for the families and communities
that for the first time in over a year can see a path forward. As long as vaccination rates continue,
and cases and hospitalization remain low, British Columbia (B.C.) will continue to move through
our reopening phases.


The level of cooperation and partnership between industry and government throughout this
pandemic has been unprecedented, and I am grateful for the steady hand of the Tourism Industry
Association of BC in providing guidance to businesses and recommendations to government so
that we could reach this point. It is my intention to continue working closely together towards
recovery, resilience and beyond, and have that be the legacy that carries forward from this
difficult time.


I am personally looking forward to travelling in B.C. this summer with my family and supporting
our tourism operators, and I know thousands of other B.C. families are planning vacations across
the province this summer as well. However, I am also keenly aware that there is still a long road
to recovery, and that the industry will need more support. As you know, Budget 2021 committed
an additional $50 M for recovery and resilience initiatives for the tourism sector this fiscal year.
I look forward to discussing how best to allocate these funds with you and other industry leaders
in the weeks ahead at the tourism advisory table. I also commit that our Government will
continue our advocacy to the Federal Government to re-open our borders to international visitors
as soon as it is safe to do so.

Thank you again for writing.


Sincerely,


Melanie Mark
Hli Haykwhl Ẃii Xsgaak
Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport

More Advocacy

TIABC is pleased to release its 2022 Advocacy Report Card, which details the advocacy efforts and achievements and synopsis of some of the organization’s key initiatives last year. 

Read now through link in bio. 👆
Tourism leaders cheer on the @canucks in the Rogers Suite. 🏒👏

L-R: Destination Vancouver's Royce Chwin, TIABC's Walt Judas, Tourism Minister Lana Popham, Sport Hosting Vancouver's Michelle Collens, TIABC Director/VCC's Dennis Innes, Indigenous Tourism BC's Henry Tso.

#bctourismcounts #bctourism #tourismsector #bc #tourism #bcstrong #explorebc #hellobc
Each year, on March 8th, people around the world celebrate International Women's Day and the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. Today, TIABC salutes the women on our board and staff who are so valued, respected and appreciated by colleagues throughout the entire BC tourism industry. 

⭐ Brenda Baptiste
⭐Joanne Burns-Millar
⭐Pria Flanagan
⭐Miranda Ji
⭐Deborah Kulchiski
⭐Sandra Oldfield
⭐Sandra van Steijn 
⭐Fiona Wray

Thank you for your incredible contribution to our organization and to BC’s visitor economy.

#bctourismcounts #bctourism #tourismsector #bc #tourism #bcstrong #explorebc #hellobc #internationalwomensday #womenintourism #womensday #IWD2023 #embraceequity
Over the weekend, TIABC CEO Walt Judas, Vancouver City Councillor Pete Fry, and Sport Hosting Vancouver Senior Manager Michelle Collens enjoyed watching the Canada Sevens rugby tournament at BC Place! 🏉

#bctourismcounts #bctourism #tourismsector #bc #tourism #bcstrong #explorebc #hellobc #GreenMeansGo #rugbysevens #bcplace
What a great first day at the BCTHC 👏

We had an incredible first day in Prince George gathering with industry friends and experiencing the many wonders that the incredible Northern BC region has to offer!

#BCTourismandHospitalityConference #bcthc #conference #tourism #StayBC #BCTourismCounts #BCTHC2023Tourism
TIABC CEO, Walt Judas and @bchotelassociation CEO Ingrid Jarrett attended the @pgcougars game on the eve of the 2023 BC Tourism & Hospitality Conference in Prince George. 🏒

#BCTourismandHospitalityConference #bcthc #conference #tourism #StayBC #BCTourismCounts