TIABC Voice of Tourism Newsletter – July 26, 2024

CEO MESSAGE

Because my daughter is raising her family in Saskatchewan’s capital city, I refuse to jump on the Regina trash talk bandwagon other than dissing one thing – their drinking water. While it originates in the Rockies, Regina’s potable water supply comes from Buffalo Pound Lake north of Moose Jaw. Although it’s heavily treated before it flows from the tap, it smells and tastes like a lake and is almost undrinkable (including brewed coffee), especially when I’ve been spoiled by the refreshing drinking water most of us in BC enjoy.

In a recent interview with a highly regarded tourism leader for the August edition of TIABC’s Voice of Tourism podcast, he inferred that from a marketing perspective, BC’s biggest competitive advantage over other destinations is our clean water and fresh air. Simply translated…these natural assets are one of the primary reasons why people come to our province so we need to leverage them.

No question we are so fortunate to be able to drink a purer form of water straight from the tap and breath fresh air on most days but, as my podcast guest would agree, we also have many other qualities that make British Columbia a wonderful place to visit.

In a workshop at Whistler earlier this week, I heard several speakers discussing some of BC’s best attributes as professional colleagues from western provinces and states gathered for the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) Summit. Aside from the conference itself, delegates spent time enjoying the breathtaking scenery, incredible attractions, and wonderful cuisine…all part of what makes the resort community so special.

With a focus on preparing for FIFA World Cup 2026, I was invited to provide a five-minute (virtual) update on BC’s visitor economy (divided into three 60- second sections – strengths, state and strategy) where I began by briefly referencing a few advantages vis-à-vis our tourism eco-system.

I then switched gears to talk about the state of the visitor economy and noted that so far this year, domestic travel is flat; international overnight visitation is growing but still shy of 2019 numbers; anecdotally operators say people aren’t spending as much; some operators are seeing record revenues but pandemic-induced debt has wiped out profit margins; booking cycles are much shorter; constant news of wildfires is dissuading travel to some regions; and the cost to do business is leading to forthcoming difficult decisions. In fact, 40% of restaurants are losing money or barely breaking even. Still, depending on where and type of business, many operators can’t keep up with the demand.

I spent the last minute of my talk focussed on strategy noting that with FIFA World Cup and other major events, we have an incredible opportunity for partnerships…across border, across sectors, together with all levels of government, with Indigenous nations… to leverage the opportunity to promote our destinations, generate new business and relationships, and collectively deal with the issues that limit visitation and growth from international markets no matter the sector.

We also have a chance to influence how visitors experience our respective destinations, and advance initiatives that matter to travellers…like safety, security, sustainability, access, and other priorities.

Moreover, we have an opportunity to look at new investment opportunities – whether at a government level for infrastructure such as highways, high-speed rail, and airports, or for tourism entrepreneurs in the development of new products and experiences, hotels and convention centres, stadiums and cultural venues, etc.

In spite of the many issues facing the tourism and hospitality industry today, I remain bullish about our visitor economy and have faith in the work that Destination BC, the regional DMOs, community DMOs, sector associations, Destination Canada, several government ministries and ministers, as well individual businesses do to make our province a great place to visit…not to mention live and work.

I drink buckets of water every day, primarily for health reasons not merely to quench my thirst. But first thing in the morning I kick start my day with a large, home-brewed coffee composed of fresh, boiled tap water, roasted beans from a Kootenay-based coffee company, and a splash of cream. It goes without saying that I’d rather drink a cup of java sitting by the lake than coffee that smells and tastes like one.

Walt Judas

CEO, TIABC