TIABC Voice of Tourism Newsletter – December 19, 2025

My last CEO message of the year is a long one and reflects a summary of TIABC’s activities over the past year.

Last week, one of the participants in a virtual meeting neglected to mute his microphone and clearly wasn’t paying any attention to the briefing. The meeting organizer was unable to mute him so dozens of us heard a one-way conversation about HR related matters, among other topics. Meeting attendees tried their best to carry on but the constant interruptions were distracting and off-putting.

I suspect most of us are guilty of or have experienced similar behaviour in a virtual meeting somewhere along the way. Notwithstanding that many folks have the attention span of a gnat these days, one can be forgiven for creating a disturbance or zoning out during a virtual meeting on occasion, as long as it doesn’t become a habit.

So on the off-chance that some attendees at TIABC’s virtual AGM earlier this week didn’t catch everything that was said, or for members that were unable to attend, I offer a top-line recap of the salient points shared by various committee chairs. For the record, the committee reports reflect the last 12 months of activity since our last AGM while the financial report is confined to fiscal year 2024.

To begin with, TIABC finished the year in a stable financial position, with a healthy balance sheet complemented by small profit.

On the Governance side, we elected three new directors this week – Kathy MacRae, ( Alterra Mountain Company’s Western Experience Division); Sharon Bond (Kekuli Café); and Chris Elder (Allied Golf Association). Earlier this year we appointed directors Clint Fraser (Northern BC Tourism Association) and Joe Baker (Okanagan College) to replace outgoing directors Dennis Innes (Vancouver Community College) and Chris Lewis (Tourism Kelowna). We also bid farewell to Nicole Ford (Rocky Mountaineer), Michael J. Ballingall (Big White Ski Resort) and Brenda Baptiste (Indigenous Tourism BC). As well, for the first time in nearly four years, the organization has a new board chair – Sandra Oldfield, founder and CEO of Elysian Projects. JJ Belanger remains on the board as past-chair.

Sandra also chaired the organization’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Reconciliation Committee which championed, among other things, educational opportunities for board members; potential partnerships and inclusion of DEIR topics in podcasts and communications; renewed partnerships with WORTH, #NotME and Spinal Cord Injury BC; and inclusion of a DEIR committee member on the 2025/26 BC Tourism Industry Conference Program Committee.

In the area of Membership and Communications, TIABC introduced a revised membership structure to better align with evolving industry needs that led to healthy membership growth, primarily in the business sector category.

One of our core membership activities is hosting the annual BC Tourism Industry Conference which brings colleagues together to network, learn, build relationships, and to celebrate excellence. By all accounts, the 2025 conference in Vancouver was a tremendous success.

As part of our ongoing communication with industry, TIABC’s Voice of Tourism newsletter continues to be the foundation of our outreach and maintains a strong open rate of 45%. Our communication tools also include social media channels which allow us to raise our voice and keep members and stakeholders informed about the work we’re doing. Our audience continues to grow across all four primary platforms (FB, X, Instagram, LinkedIn), at an average rate of 12% annually.

In 2025, we added 12 new Voice of Tourism podcasts to our channel to provide education and information to various target audiences on the issues that matter to our sector. The Voice of Tourism Podcast features industry leaders from sector associations, DMOs, and businesses.

TIABC continues to forge mutually beneficial partnerships to ensure we maximize resources that are critical to supporting our advocacy initiatives. Dozens of businesses and organizations annually support TIABC, as well as the BC Tourism Industry Conference.

Finally, on the policy side, TIABC convened a series of member and partner roundtables across the province with DMOs, sector associations, Indigenous partners, small and large operators, municipalities, and regional economic organizations to identify policy gaps, validate advocacy positions, and capture the lived experience of operators on a multitude of issues. Feedback gathered from the roundtables has directly shaped several of our submissions, which include:

A) Premier’s Task Force on Trade & Economic Security

TIABC prepared a comprehensive submission (with support from sectors, DMOs, businesses) to position tourism as an export sector and identify shovel-ready projects, regulatory barriers, and opportunities to accelerate tourism’s contribution to provincial economic growth in view of tariff impacts.

B) MRDT Policy Stability and Program Modernization

TIABC worked with BCDMOA, BCHA, and multiple DMOs to reinforce that MRDT be used for its core purpose: tourism marketing, projects and programs. We also participated in a working session with industry and the Province to explore several areas of improvement to the MRDT structure.

C) Short-Term Rental Regulations and the New Provincial Registry

The rollout of the STR registry raised considerable concern among tourism operators, particularly seasonal businesses and commercial accommodators inadvertently captured in the regulations. TIABC requested that government extend the early-bird registration deadline, simplify Q&A guidance, and more clearly distinguish commercial operators from non–tourism-purpose STRs.

D) Land-Use, Tenures, and Adventure Tourism Policy Modernization

TIABC continued to work closely with the Adventure Tourism Coalition on recommendations to modernize Adventure Tourism Policy, improve tenure pathways, and clarify cumulative impacts and benefits. We also participated in land and marine planning processes across the province, with a focus on reconciliation, co-governance, and consistent consideration of tourism operators within emerging land-use frameworks.

 E) Ease of Doing Business

TIABC responded to the Province’s Ease of Doing Business consultation with a submission that highlighted the unique regulatory pressures affecting tourism operators and proposed practical solutions to reduce red tape, improve certainty, and enable business growth.

F) Heritage Conservation Act Transformation

TIABC submitted detailed recommendations on the modernization of the Heritage Conservation Act, emphasizing the need for clarity around Indigenous authority, practical disaster-recovery processes, implications for private land, and respectful partner engagement with First Nations.

G) Extractive Industries Policy: Implementation and Continued Advocacy

We continued advancing our Extractive Industries Policy in the context of land-use decisions, forestry planning, permitting, and compensation for displaced operators. With resource development intersecting increasingly with tourism, this file remained highly active.

H) Air Access, Fees, and Emerging Aviation Policy

We reviewed the escalating cost of domestic air travel and advanced discussions on aviation policy ahead of the federal election, stressing the need for fee and tax reform, improved regional access, and alignment with sustainable aviation fuel requirements. TIABC also monitored airline labour challenges and engaged appropriately to ensure government awareness of potential disruptions.

I) Federal Pre-Budget Submission

TIABC submitted a comprehensive brief to the federal government outlining five priority actions to strengthen Canada’s visitor economy. We called for: A dedicated tourism infrastructure and attraction fund; a national multi-modal connectivity strategy to improve air, rail, motorcoach, ferry, and rural transportation links; enhanced destination marketing and international competitiveness, including restoring Destination Canada funding and extending the International Convention Attraction Fund; stronger emergency preparedness, with a national lodging platform, improved insurance access for tourism SMEs, and targeted recovery tools; and modernized tax rules for seasonal tourism, including fixes to the Vessel Luxury Tax and reclassifying seasonal campgrounds as active small businesses.

J) Ministerial Engagement and Roundtables

TIABC engaged with several ministers and ministries, including the Tourism Minister’s roundtable at BC TIC in March, followed by a sector roundtable in November to inform the forthcoming Tourism Growth Strategy. We also held meetings related to land-use, economic development, and emergency management.

The aforementioned points are but a snapshot of activities that covered the better part of this year. I would venture to say that 2026 will be equally as busy with multiple pressing priorities for TIABC’s new CEO to tackle.

As I reflect back on the last 12 months, I offer a posture of gratefulness for having had the opportunity to serve TIABC and BC’s tourism industry this year. In the meantime, as I look to wrap up in Q1 2026, allow me one final time to wish you all the best for the holiday season. Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

In case you’re wondering…at the virtual meeting I referenced earlier, someone thankfully managed to track down the open mic culprit and politely asked them to either shut up or shut off. My guess is they’ll be on Santa’s naughty list this Christmas.

Walt Judas,

CEO, TIABC