TIABC Voice of Tourism Newsletter – March 21, 2025

A counsellor friend who’s given me advice from time-to-time has spent countless hours listening to other people’s problems and asking a lot of questions to get to the bottom of the issues her clients face. Even in a social setting, she is exceedingly inquisitive and learns fascinating things about friends and acquaintances that most others don’t know.

While on a recent weekend getaway with family, she decided to turn the table on herself and pose a question to her four adult children about what she did wrong or could have done better as a parent. In hindsight she wished she hadn’t asked because the answers were both surprising and sobering. Although all her kids agreed she was an exceptional mother and role model, they were very definitive about her shortcomings and failures. Thankfully her extensive professional pedigree prepared her to receive the negative responses without too much collateral damage.

My friend’s experience taught me to approach similar situations the same way. In other words, if you ask a pointed question, be prepared for an answer you don’t want or expect to hear. For example, in TIABC’s latest membership survey, the question on what we should be doing more of points out areas where we’re falling short or need to improve on.

While there were several positive comments, there were also many about the need to amplify our advocacy efforts on behalf of rural communities and smaller destination management organizations. There were suggestions related to holding government more accountable, building up political capital with elected officials, adding more educator voices to our board, and reaching out to members to get to know them better.

Conversely, when it comes to what TIABC should be doing less of, the recommendations were equally illuminating. For example, less research, more action; podcasts, DEI, reconciliation; speaking to the same groups every year; promoting big cities over smaller centres; and our weekly newsletter.

As for recommendations on programs, information, or services members would find valuable, responses varied from more rural engagement and focus on the value of tourism, to navigating climate change impacts and relationships with Indigenous communities and partners.

For some of the quantifiable measures, roughly three-quarters of respondents were satisfied with their membership while 92% agreed or strongly agreed that TIABC not only supports the tourism industry, but brings more awareness to the challenges and opportunities of BC’s visitor economy.

There were plenty of additional measures and comments that our Membership Committee and Board of Directors have analyzed with the goal of putting processes or personnel in place to meet the growing needs of our members.

Similarly, TIABC’s Policy Committee also has its marching orders to direct staff on which issues to focus on in the coming months, starting with promoting the value of tourism, followed by the security of the Municipal & Regional District Tax, access and infrastructure development, and much more. As an aside, had the survey been taken today, no doubt the current trade dispute with the United States would have topped the list. On a related note, check out TIABC’s 2024 Advocacy Report Card below that provides a summary of our activities last year.

Thank you to those that took the time to complete the survey. We had a decent response rate and some excellent input that will help shape our priorities going forward.

My counsellor friend told me of a time she conducted a workshop for a dozen CEOs of medium to large companies and organizations. In the pre-meeting questionnaire that each executive was required to fill out, she asked them to name their greatest fear. Surprisingly, each one of them said they were afraid of being exposed as less self-assured and secure in their roles than their employees, customers or members thought. Gulp!

Walt Judas
CEO, TIABC