TIABC Voice of Tourism Newsletter – October 24, 2025

Like many who’ve built their careers in tourism, my journey started young. I was 14 when I landed my first hospitality job at a Dairy Queen in Minnesota, where I served then U.S. Vice- President Dan Quayle a hot fudge sundae. That early experience sparked a lifelong passion for welcoming and serving guests, working in jobs that ranged from housekeeping, front desk and concierge, to catering, student travel roles, marketing and sales, and now advocacy.

While my formative years were in the United States, I immigrated to Canada on a work visa 25 years ago. My first job in my adopted country was with Whistler-Blackcomb’s Schools on Snow program, part of the incredible front-line hustle that defines our industry and strengthens our shared commitment to guest service and community connection.

Although I was earning only $10.10 an hour, what I lacked in income I made up for in learning and personal growth. Every role, from answering phones to closing corporate group contracts, taught me something about resilience, teamwork, and the magic of creating memorable experiences for others. Over time, I worked my way up through Whistler-Blackcomb’s corporate sales team progressing from coordinator, to supervisor, to account executive, helping drive more than $60 million in annual sales and seeing firsthand how passion and perseverance can turn opportunity into impact.

That foundation led me to the destination side of the industry in 2007, where I discovered the bigger picture of what tourism can achieve: connecting people, communities, and ideas. It’s where I learned that our work goes far beyond marketing, sales trips or filling rooms: it’s about building a sense of belonging, advocating for the people behind the experiences, and shaping the future of the places we love.

Walt’s recent Voice of Tourism podcast with Heather MacDonald, Chief Integrative Officer at Gibbons Whistler and TIABC Director, deeply resonated with me. Heather spoke about “the hustle” it takes to thrive in Whistler, a sentiment shared by Paul Hawes, CEO of the BC Hotel Association, who reflected on his own immigration and work permit journey during the recent Northern BC Tourism Summit.

Across the province, the story is largely the same. We hear from operators at every TIABC roundtable that finding and retaining staff remains one of their greatest challenges, especially in resort and rural communities. Recent changes at the federal level, including the reinstated cap on international student work hours, have only added pressure. Many tourism and hospitality businesses rely on international students to fill flexible evening, weekend, and seasonal shifts. When their hours are limited, operators face tougher scheduling realities, reduced service capacity, and higher costs in an already strained labour market.

Immigration pathways, temporary foreign worker programs, and post-graduate work permits are not just administrative processes, they are the workforce pipelines that keep our restaurants open, our hotels operating, our adventure tours running, and our visitor economy thriving.

In more challenging economic times, when discretionary spending tightens and businesses face rising costs, the value of tourism as a resilient, job-rich sector becomes even clearer. Tourism and hospitality is one of B.C.’s largest employers, generating over 350,000 direct and indirect jobs and $22 billion in annual revenue. The sector depends on people who bring their talents, cultures, and stories from around the world.

Post-graduate work permits, the TFW program, and clear pathways to permanent residency aren’t merely about bolstering immigration numbers but rather a critical lifeline to BC’s tourism industry and the workers it needs to contribute to local communities and the well-being of the entire province. A favourable labour policy aligns directly with both federal and provincial government priorities including Canada’s Tourism Growth Strategy and its goal of a sustainable, inclusive workforce, as well as BC’s Labour Strategy and the Clean and Competitive Economic Plan that depends on people-first growth.

Tourism and hospitality rely on people from across Canada and around the world who choose to call this country home. As governments look to strengthen Canada’s economic future, they can look to tourism as proof that when we invest in people, we invest in prosperity.

Cassandra Zerebeski

Director of Policy

TIABC