TIABC Voice of Tourism Newsletter – July 31, 2026

When Canadians think about nation building, most of us picture the Fathers of Confederation gathered in Charlottetown in 1864, laying the foundation for a country that would officially come into being three years later. Confederation was an extraordinary political achievement, but it also raised a daunting question. How do you connect a country this vast?

Creating a nation on paper was one thing. Connecting people across a 5500km coast to coast distance separated by mountains, forests, rivers, and prairies was something entirely different.

The first answer was the railway. The Canadian Pacific Railway became far more than steel rails stretching across the landscape. It was a promise that BC would be connected to the rest of Canada and that communities separated by thousands of kilometres could become part of one country.

Nearly a century later a second answer to the connection question resulted in the Trans-Canada Highway. The highway transformed how Canadians experienced their country. Families packed station wagons, unfolded paper maps across dashboards, and discovered places they had never seen before. The highway made Canada more accessible, not only for commerce but for exploration.

Today, a newer national connection stretches from coast to coast. Unlike the railway or the highway, the Trans Canada Trail was never intended to move freight or shorten travel times. Instead, its purpose is to encourage us to slow down and recognize that some of the most meaningful journeys are not measured by how quickly we arrive. Rather than being a single continuous path, it is a network of local trails, waterways, former rail corridors, and community pathways that together form one of the world’s longest recreational trail systems. It is a different kind of nation-building project—one that connects Canadians not simply by moving them across the country, but by inviting them to experience it at a human pace.

That connection is important especially to tourism. Today’s travellers are looking for authentic experiences. They want to cycle through vineyards, hike to alpine lakes, paddle historic waterways, learn about Indigenous cultures, explore small towns, and discover places they may never have found from the seat of a vehicle. Trails make those experiences possible. They encourage visitors to stay longer, spend more, support local businesses, and build lasting connections with the people and places they encounter. They are not simply recreational assets; they are an essential part of BC’s tourism ecosystem.

Despite their increasing importance to tourism, BC trails face growing challenges. Climate-related events such as floods, wildfires, landslides, and severe weather continue to damage bridges, wash out sections of trail, and in some cases permanently alter or close important routes. Erosion is becoming more common, while increasing visitor use creates additional maintenance pressures. In some areas, resource development and competing land uses place further pressure on trail corridors, requiring careful planning to balance economic activity with recreation and conservation.

There are governance challenges as well. Many trail organizations continue to navigate outdated management systems, lengthy permitting processes, fragmented responsibilities, and chronic underfunding. At the same time, much of the day-to-day maintenance is carried out by dedicated volunteers and local trail organizations whose passion keeps these trails open, safe, and accessible. Their contribution is extraordinary, but they cannot shoulder this responsibility alone.

The Province’s Trail Strategy noted that BC has at least 30,000 kilometres of formally recognized trails, along with hundreds of thousands of kilometres of informal trails. That represents one of the largest recreational trail networks in Canada, yet maintaining it requires sustained investment, modern policies, collaborative partnerships, and long-term stewardship if we expect future generations to enjoy the same opportunities we have today.

If BC is serious about reaching the goals of the Look West Tourism Sector Action Plan, then we must also be serious about investing in the infrastructure that supports it. Trails are every bit as important as visitor centres, airports, hotels, highways, ferries, accommodations, and attractions. They generate economic activity, improve quality of life for residents, connect communities, support active transportation, protect our history, and create the authentic outdoor experiences visitors, especially international ones, increasingly seek.

More than 150 years after Confederation challenged Canadians to imagine how to connect a country, that work continue. Today, connection is no longer measured only in rail lines or highways. Because if the railway united a young country and the highway brought Canadians closer together, the trails continue that story by connecting people with the communities, landscapes, and experiences that will keep British Columbia, and Canada, connected for generations to come.

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

CEO, TIABC