TIABC Voice of Tourism Newsletter – November 1, 2024

As a kid, when you wanted something badly enough for your birthday or Christmas, did you ever pressure your parents by saying, everybody at school has one? Truth be told, maybe one of every five classmates actually possessed whatever it was you coveted but it felt like you were the only one that was left out.

Today when I hear people say things like, “everyone loves Destination X” or “nobody goes to Destination Y anymore,” it begs the question, “who’s nobody or who’s everyone?” In other words, show me credible data from a reliable source and I’ll believe you.

For the tourism sector, thankfully we’ve made great headway in recent years vis-à-vis how, what and by whom data are captured and reported with many leading organizations like Destination BC, the BC Regional Tourism Secretariat (Symphony Tourism Services), Destination Canada, community DMOs, post-secondary institutions, sector associations, individual companies, as well as independent consultants working collectively and collaboratively to coordinate, complement and align tourism research to benefit our industry.

Many of the aforementioned organizations spoke of their comprehensive research initiatives at the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association Summit earlier this week in Vernon. One of the speakers though, dug a bit deeper and unveiled some interesting data on the state of tourism globally, as well as other findings worth noting.

He pointed out that internationally, tourism is bouncing back. Year over year growth is roughly 4%, which is down from the average annual growth rate of 7% between 1950 and the start of the pandemic, but is nonetheless a good sign. 2024 will realize a staggering 1.1 billion international arrivals. And while domestic travel led the way after COVID, international travel is surging but not yet back to 2019 levels, largely because airline seat capacity is still catching up.

Some other points that caught my attention revolved around trends. For example, solo travel has doubled since 2018 with the leading demographic being those 45 and older, and predominantly women who tend to stay longer in a destination, spend more and frequent local businesses. Multi-generational family travel is also growing exponentially while wellness travel (e.g. outdoor activities, healthy food, peace & quiet) is set to quadruple by 2027.

All of these trends bode well for BC’s visitor economy, but the speaker from Skift also spoke of issues to pay attention to including concerns by residents over too many visitors that add little value to a local community. He also referenced climate related emergencies that are wreaking havoc with popular destinations, as well as geopolitical challenges that could impact Canada, and technology innovation such as artificial intelligence whose influence will be greater than the internet.

There were some recommendations put forward on what BC’s tourism sector needs to do to stay ahead of the curve but ultimately regularly conducting research and analyzing data is at the core of being able to respond accordingly, and more importantly, the key to being innovative in our approach to tackling problems and seizing opportunities in order for businesses and communities to leverage tourism to benefit both residents and visitors. It’s good to know that our industry’s research and analysis capabilities are leading-edge and constantly evolving.

Last month I asked my grandson Jake what he wanted for his birthday. He told me that he’d like a pair of crocs because every kid in school has them. I wasn’t sure I believed him until his Mom sent me a photo of a giant pile of colourful crocs left at the front door by the boys attending Jake’s birthday party. Good thing I bought him a pair so he wouldn’t feel left out. 😂

Walt Judas
CEO, TIABC