TIABC Voice of Tourism Newsletter – October 11, 2024

While in junior high in the seventies, I occasionally skipped math class to go fishing with my buddy at a nearby slough. In fact, from the countless ditches that lined Richmond’s main arteries and feeder roads at the time, we had many favourite fishing spots to choose from.

Because of the canals, as well as the sandy, silty, peaty, and wet soil conditions, for many years developers were limited in what they could build on Lulu Island. However, in spite of 360 kms of ditches still being used for drainage and flood prevention within the city limits today, Richmond is almost unrecognizable with multiple, shiny apartment blocks, commercial properties and hotels in the north-west part of the city, thanks in large part to new building methods, materials, and technology. Suffice it to say, Richmond has earned its reputation as a desirable place to live and routinely attracts a large number of new residents and visitors every year.

Driven by need, desire and opportunity, countless developments have also sprung up in Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, North Vancouver, Surrey, Langley, the Tri-cities, and many other mid-sized communities in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island, in the Okanagan, and other parts of BC in recent years.

It goes without saying that private investment in the form of development attracts new businesses and residents, creates jobs, contributes to the local economy, drives innovation, adds amenities, and importantly, generates visitor demand. As you know, tourists like to go where the locals go and do what the locals do which also helps to create a vibe and energy that not only enhances neighbourhoods and towns, but also revitalizes entire destinations in multiple ways.

Earlier this week as part of a strategy session with our partners at the Tourism Innovation Lab, I had the opportunity to visit Detroit, a city known, among other things, for music (Motown), sports, the automotive industry, and unfortunately, crime. Prior to and particularly after the world economic meltdown 16 years ago, the Motor City was declining rapidly with major crime off the charts, hundreds of abandoned commercial buildings, thousands of vacant and dilapidated houses, a crooked mayor, and debt so high the city filed for bankruptcy protection. Detroit was front page news for all the wrong reasons.

Yet, in spite of its major problems, native Detroiters and investors had a vision to restore some of the city’s architectural jewels and to revitalize entire neighbourhoods by building or renovating condominiums, commercial centres, attractions, arts, culture and sport venues, river walkways, trails and parks, subsequently animating public amenities with festivals, events and activities that continue to attract locals, newcomers and visitors every day of the year. The initiative earned widespread support among civic, state and federal leaders.

Like Richmond, the transformation of Detroit is astounding. The downtown core in particular is vibrant, beautiful, historical and safe, thanks to the many people who cared enough to invest time, energy and particularly money into the city’s rebirth of sorts.

To be sure, Detroit has a ways to go to further reduce crime, rebuild different neighbourhoods, create jobs for the many unemployed, and deal with other issues like transportation and infrastructure, but at the same time the city is a shining example of what a destination can do with a plan, strong will, solid partnerships, and public/private investment to begin a new chapter in its long and storied history. Every person I met there was proud to call it home.

I’m telling you this because I saw first-hand how government policies help to form an investment climate that allows for new development, new products and experiences, new ideas, more services, social progression, and innovation that not only makes a community a great place to live, but also prioritizes and builds tourism to add another positive dimension to its list of attributes.

In the context of this election and who leads our province after October 19th, creating or improving an investment climate for BC’s tourism sector to prosper and grow sustainably is one of the priorities TIABC will be pressing our next government to pursue for the benefit of all residents in every region including communities that have experienced rapid development over the past two decades.

The Richmond ditch where I used to hang with my buddy still exists, although I suspect it’s filled with more tires than fish these days. Should I decide to cast a line there for nostalgic reasons, at least I won’t need to hide every time the bus stops in front of the slough for fear of my mother returning home from work to see me fishing instead of in class.

Walt Judas
CEO, TIABC