TIABC Voice of Tourism Newsletter – July 24, 2026

As I began writing this week’s CEO message, a notification flashed across my screen. Yet another highway closure.

I glanced out my window and immediately understood why. The sky, usually bright blue at this time of year, had turned a dark hazy grey. The sun looked like a strange red dot suspended in the smoke, almost otherworldly. Ash drifted from the sky like an unexpected July snowfall, and even sitting inside my home in Merritt, my eyes burned from the smoke. The wildfires burning through the Fraser Valley and the Fraser Canyon felt much closer.

With so many communities under evacuation orders and others, including Merritt and the surrounding area, experiencing the effects of smoke and uncertainty, the topic I had originally planned to write about simply no longer felt appropriate.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the BC Tourism Emergency Management Committee, or TEMC, which TIABC co-chairs alongside the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. I never imagined I would be revisiting that topic quite so soon.

In BC, we are fortunate to have a dedicated group of tourism industry and government partners working collaboratively to support the safety of visitors, the viability of tourism businesses, and our reputation as a safe and welcoming destination during provincial or multi-regional emergencies.

Today, however, this is not really a story about committees or emergency management frameworks. It is about people.

It is about the families who have had to leave their homes, the businesses wondering what tomorrow will bring, the tourism operators answering anxious phone calls from visitors, and the firefighters, emergency personnel, volunteers, and local leaders working tirelessly to protect their communities.

For many tourism businesses, this is an incredibly difficult time. Some are dealing directly with evacuation orders and closures. Others remain open but are facing cancellations because visitors understandably assume the entire province has been affected. That is why accurate information matters.

BC is a vast province. While some communities are facing significant challenges, many others remain open, welcoming visitors, and ready to receive them safely. Supporting communities affected by wildfire and supporting tourism across the rest of BC are not competing priorities. We can, and must, do both.

One of the most valuable resources available to tourism businesses, visitors, and communities is Destination BC’s online Emergency Preparedness Hub. It brings together current information, planning resources, communication tools, and practical guidance to help people prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. I encourage you to visit the site and share it with your colleagues, visitors, friends, and community members.

As we navigate this challenging period together, there are a few things I hope we all keep in mind.

Please stay informed. Respect evacuation orders and travel advisories. Support communities when they are ready. And above all, remember that every one of us has a role to play in preventing human-caused wildfires.

To everyone whose lives and businesses have been affected, please know that you are not facing this alone. British Columbia’s tourism industry has always been defined by its resilience, its generosity, and its willingness to support one another through difficult times.

As we navigate through the days and weeks ahead, TIABC will continue working alongside our tourism and government partners to support those affected, share accurate information, and help ensure visitors can make informed travel decisions that support both the communities recovering from these wildfires and those across British Columbia that remain open for business.

Stay safe everyone.

Amber Papou, B.Ed, MBA, ICD.D

CEO, TIABC