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Sep 11, 2023

TIABC Voice of Tourism Newsletter – September 8, 2023

TIABC

CEO MESSAGE

I first visited the Okanagan as a kid and in my late teens came very close to taking a job as a budding golf pro in Peachland but other interests (e.g. girlfriend) tethered me to the coast. Aside from the fact that my family spent the better part of every summer vacationing in what was then known as Westbank when my kids were growing up, today my two sons live in Kelowna, as did my daughter before moving to Saskatchewan. Suffice it to say, I’m in the Okanagan a lot and consider it my second home.

I recall in the early 80s stumbling upon a fledgling winery I’d never heard of called Mission Hill. There was hardly a soul around, let alone much infrastructure. To help generate additional revenue, the winery partnered with a helicopter company to offer 10-minute flights from its parking lot across the lake and back for $30. It was my first time in a chopper.

From one of only a handful of producers in the entire region at the time, Mission Hill morphed into a world renowned winery and attraction, helping to spawn a massive BC wine industry that today counts over 200 proprietors in the Thompson Okanagan alone.

As you are aware, wineries are synonymous with tourism in British Columbia. Close to 1.3 million tourists visit vineyards and tasting rooms in BC’s nine growing regions each year. The wine industry employs some 12,000 people and contributes close to $4 billion to BC’s economy (pre-pandemic figures). Suffice it to say, it’s a key tourism demand generator and an important sector for our province.

At the same time, producing wines in BC is becoming increasingly more difficult, raising concerns within the tourism industry. Many wineries are struggling for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to, fewer avenues to sell; competition from other beverage manufacturers; shifts in consumer drinking habits; production costs exceeding profit margins; bad weather destroying acres of grapes and forcing the need to replant vines at a significant cost; fewer visitors due to various crises including COVID and wildfires; punitive government policies; and the list goes on.

Fortunately, Wine Growers BC (WGBC) is working hard to address many of the issues its members face. At their annual general meeting earlier this week, WGBC CEO Miles Prodan outlined several advocacy priorities, including addressing provincial and federal regulations.

For example the organization is pushing to make permanent BC wineries’ ability to deliver their liquor products directly to retail customers from their registered off-site storage facilities. They would also like the province to permit wineries to operate satellite tasting rooms away from their manufacturing plants, as well as provide ongoing support for BC wine tourism with dedicated marketing dollars to boost the BC Wine Tourism Strategy 2023-2027. Moreover, WGBC has diligently pursued a long-term strategy to increase demand, market share and margins for BC wines, position BC as a premier wine region, make BC wine country a benchmark for wine tourism, and strengthen wine industry leadership, among other priorities.

In spite of the challenges, the outlook for the wine sector remains cautiously optimistic. Federal government investment in the form of a $166 million to pursue opportunities and address some of the obstacles, (e.g. loss of excise tax exemption), was helpful relief that also included a one-year 2% cap on the excise duty annual inflation indexation, avoiding a whopping 6.3% increase.

Provincially, government stepped up to include (for the first time) wine grapes in a Perennial Crop Renewal Program to help offset the ravages of climate change in BC vineyards. At the same time, more policy changes and assistance will be needed for the foreseeable future to give many wineries a fighting chance to survive.

With tasting rooms, restaurants, accommodation, concerts, vineyard tours, product sales, special events, and other clever offerings on site, helicopter rides aren’t necessary to supplement revenues. What is needed, however, is residents and tourists to visit now, especially in the Okanagan where devastating wildfires and other factors have dissuaded customers from frequenting their favourite wineries.

On my next visit to the Okanagan, I plan to stumble upon a winery that I’ve not visited before and buy something to support the local economy. I hope you do the same no matter which BC wine region you visit.

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!