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Oct 4, 2024

TIABC Voice of Tourism Newsletter – October 4, 2024

TIABC

As evidenced in the US presidential debates, and closer to home as part of the BC election campaign, many politicians have an annoying habit of not answering a reporter’s question but instead attacking an opponent’s views or steering the conversation in a completely different direction. As a former broadcast journalist and media training instructor, this so-called ‘avoidance’ routine drives me bonkers.

When I used to conduct media training sessions for executives and directors of various businesses and organizations, I not only taught basic techniques on how to answer a journalist’s question during an interview, but I also illustrated ways the interviewee could segue to ensure their own important messages were delivered. Unfortunately, the art of a seamless transition has been lost in today’s media environment.

In my humble opinion, when being interviewed, it’s important to answer questions directly and succinctly to demonstrate subject matter expertise and leadership, as well as to build trust and credibility with the audience. Being evasive and changing the subject does the opposite. To be fair, answering difficult questions is easier said than done and requires practice. Admittedly, I have yet to perfect it in spite of how many interviews I’ve done over the years.

One of the simple practices all interviewees should do prior to being grilled is to anticipate the questions a reporter is likely to ask on a particular topic and write down answers or key points to rehearse and have on hand in response. Including stats, evidence or anecdotes to bolster one’s messaging is also helpful. For the record, I employ this exercise regularly before each conversation with a reporter.

As you know, as part of the 2024 BC election campaign, TIABC’s election toolkit (that we’ve shared with media) poses a number of questions on a variety of topics for candidates to address. At the same time, if we were asked similar questions by a reporter (in the context of the election campaign), it’s incumbent on us to be prepared with answers and relevant points on those same topics.

For example, on the goal to establish the visitor economy as a leading business sector, our response suggests that there is a tremendous upside to viewing tourism as a key economic pillar for BC given that export revenues generated by international visitation exceed many other natural resource sectors. Therefore, tourism deserves the same government attention paid to other sectors such as forestry, mining, oil & gas, and development.

On the issue of transportation and connectivity, our core message is that BC needs a multi-modal system that connects people, particularly in rural parts of the province, to larger communities, not only for tourism but for medical appointments or other priorities that necessitate travel.

On the priority of workforce, our message is that government should invest in skills development for the tourism and hospitality sector to help those employers (largely small operators) who don’t have the resources to further train their employees in areas such as technology.

Other sample messages we’ve developed include the need for:

  • Additional government funding for Destination British Columbia to invest more in marketing and destination development to ensure BC remains competitive both domestically and internationally. We also need additional funding to further develop Indigenous tourism, which is a major demand generator.
  • Financial and other support for tourism businesses who are forced to shut down during crises like wildfires or floods. A program akin to what was offered during the pandemic would be welcome to allow businesses to retain staff and bounce back after a major emergency.
  • Efficient and effective tenure renewal processes that provide certainty for operators that rely on access to crown land to retain and build their businesses over the long-term.

As you can appreciate, there are many more points to convey to media and target audiences including political parties in the days ahead.

I watched part of the Harris-Trump presidential debate last month. I tuned out after 10 minutes because neither candidate appeared to be answering the moderators’ questions and instead bashed each other about what they did or didn’t do while in power. Unfortunately, party leaders in BC are reverting to the same tactic.

Regardless of which election campaign, for once I’d like to hear politicians give an honest and direct answer to a journalist’s question complemented by details on what their party intends to do to solve a problem or pursue an opportunity, rather than a response that largely focuses on the shortcomings of their opponent’s plan. I suggest ‘back to basics’ media training might be a good start.

Walt Judas
CEO, TIABC

Related Posts

TIABC CEO Walt Judas, BCHA's Ingrid Jarrett, DBC's Josie Heisig, Destination Vancouver's Michael Drake and Vancouver Deputy Mayor Mike Klassen were among the speakers honouring some 800 frontline workers at the recent Vancouver Tourism Awards Gala masterfully emceed by Fast Signs Paul LeBlanc at the JW Marriott Parq Hotel.

The Gala annually celebrates both monthly winners throughout the year, as well as all nominees. This year's featured speaker was BC Paralympian Josh Dueck who won a silver medal in skiing for Canada at both the 2010 and 2014 Winter Paralympics. His message of passion, perseverance and possibility earned him a standing ovation.

Huge kudos to Peggie Terry, the Board of Directors and the entire Vancouver Tourism Awards team for another outstanding gala.

📷: Rhonda Dent
TIABC’s Walt Judas, TOTA’s Ellen Walker Matthews and Travel Penticton’s Thom Tischik connected at the opening reception of the TOTA Summit in Vernon this week. Walt was one of the Summit speakers and spoke about the new political landscape in BC following last week’s provincial election. 

At the TOTA AGM on Tuesday, TIABC Director Sandra Oldfield was elected as TOTA’s new board chair.
TIABC CEO Walt Judas presented to delegates at the Kootenay Rockies Summit in Nelson where he spoke about what the final election results will mean for the tourism sector in BC.  He also moderated a panel discussion on emergency management featuring BCHA's Ingrid Jarrett, HatchComms' Kate Colley, and Kootenay Rockies Tourism's Corrine Bundschuh. The Kootenay Rockies region represents about 10% of British Columbia's annual tourism revenues.
CEO Walt Judas spoke about TIABC's advocacy priorities at the Northern BC Tourism Association (NBCTA) Summit in Prince George this week. It was the first in-person NBCTA conference in five years and attracted close to 100 delegates including Smithers tourism operator Al McCreary who is the past president of ABLE BC.

Delegates heard from several speakers on topics ranging from tourism crisis communications preparedness and sustainability, to AI and trail building with Indigenous partners. The Summit continues through Thursday with sessions on place making, innovation and marketing.
🍁 Happy Thanksgiving! 🍂 

In observance of Thanksgiving, our offices will be closed on Monday, October 14th. We will resume regular business hours on Tuesday, October 15th. 

Wishing you a joyful and safe Thanksgiving Holiday with family, friends, and loved ones.
2025 BC Tourism Industry Conference 

We’re excited to share that the conference program overview, registration rates, and hotel room booking details for the 2025 BC Tourism Industry Conference are now available to view on our website.

Explore the program overview. While detailed timing will be released later this fall, we're pleased to announce that the program will return to the Wednesday-to-Friday format. Mark your calendars for March 5-7, 2025, and stay tuned for updates on keynote speakers, engaging sessions, networking opportunities, and more.

Visit the conference website through link in bio! 👆🔗 

We look forward to seeing you in Vancouver next year!