TIABC Voice of Tourism Newsletter – September 13, 2024

My wife belongs to a tennis club and successfully competes in matches and tournaments all over Metro Vancouver. Her technical skills and knowledge of the game are much stronger than mine yet she can’t beat me on the court and often questions why. The only response I consistently offer is that she needs to develop the so-called ‘killer instinct’ to finish me off when leading a set.

Having played various sports for decades, I’ve learned to push hard to win no matter my opponent even when it’s my wonderful wife (for the record, I’m not proud of those victories). As I’ve mentioned before, that competitive trait has infiltrated other aspects of my life including my job where I battle daily to ensure the tourism industry comes out on top in whatever circumstance.

Case in point, when I read a backgrounder this week on BC’s economy stating that our strengths lie in forestry, energy, mining, transportation, manufacturing, technology, construction, real estate and film, I immediately noted the absence of tourism on that list and felt I’d lost a match.

Even though as an industry we’ve done a ton of work through TIABC’s Value of Tourism initiative, as well as multiple impact reports by sector partners and DMOs that show BC’s visitor economy outpaces other major sectors in GDP and other measures, it seems we’ve not yet earned our spot amongst the province’s other top tier business sectors. Hence the reason it’s so important that we draw attention to the tourism industry as part of this election campaign.

In today’s newsletter, you’ll find TIABC’s 2024 Provincial Election Toolkit that I’ve been promising, developed with input from many sector partners, business leaders and TIABC’s Policy Committee. It’s important to note that the toolkit is designed to evolve as more input is solicited and questions added by other sectors and businesses that we hear from or consult with throughout the election campaign. Please make sure to reference the toolkit regularly to help guide your advocacy activities and to inform your decision on who to vote for as the next government of British Columbia.

On a related note, TIABC and BCHA are part of a group of sector associations, led by the Business Council of BC and the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, that has launched a BC Leader’s Survey. You’ll also find more details below.

In an introductory meeting yesterday with the Executive Director of Protect Our Winters Canada (POW), a charitable organization with a mission to unite the outdoor community around climate action, I learned that POW (in collaboration with the University of Waterloo) recently completed the first of its kind report measuring the size of the outdoor recreation economy in Canada. The report shows that this segment (which encompasses adventure tourism in BC) generates some $78.4 billion in annual spending and supports close to one million jobs across Canada.

It’s numbers like these and the sector/DMO reports I referenced earlier that politicians and decision-makers, including BC’s next government, must become more familiar with as they contemplate policy, investment and growth opportunities vis-à-vis various sectors of British Columbia’s economy, especially tourism.

To that end, and within the context of competition, I remain determined to advance TIABC’s vision for our visitor economy which states, “Through consistent, focused and strategic advocacy, establish BC’s tourism sector as the most recognized and valued industry for residents of British Columbia.” Using the toolkit, data and other information, I trust you’ll join us in our efforts before and after the election.

By the way, my wife has been nurturing her ‘killer instinct’ and tells me about her win-loss record after every tennis match. Rest-assured, once she reaches the point of hating to lose as much as loving to win, I’m in big trouble.

Walt Judas
CEO, TIABC