A hundred years ago, few Islanders could have guessed that bleak pit left over from an exhausted limestone quarry would receive an official designation as a monument to Canadian history. However, on December 21, the hard work of two proud Canadian pioneers, Robert and Jennie Butchart, was recognized by the government in playing an important part in Canada's development. The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada recommended Butchart Gardens for designation as a national historic site because they represent the combination of aspects of Canadian gardening history. Indeed, the Butchart Gardens also holds a special place in the history of tourism in British Columbia. After several years of tending by the Butcharts, the gardens started to establish themselves as a visitor attraction. By the 1920's more than fifty thousand people were touring the grounds. "It is most fitting that the Butchart Gardens be designated as a National Historic Site of Canada. For a century the Gardens have been one of the premier attractions on Vancouver Island and a monument to Robert and Jennie Butchart's imagination and energy", said the Honourable David Anderson, Member of Parliament for Victoria. For more information on the Butchart Gardens, please visit http://www.butchartgardens.com.
The latest figures released from Tourism BC clearly show that tourism in BC has rebounded from the down turn experienced in 2003. In the first nine months of 2004, British Columbia hosted approximately 4.1 million international travelers, an increase of 4.8 per cent over the same period last year. With a 27.9 percent increase in Asia/Pacific and an 11.8 percent increase in Europeans visiting British Columbia has also benefited from a 6.2 percent increase in room revenue, year-to-date, over the same period last year. The provincial occupancy rate for September was 72.3 percent, 5.5 percent higher than September 2003 and both BC Ferries and the Vancouver International Airport have benefited from increased traffic as people move around the province. Year-to-date, increases have also been seen at two of the six visitor information centres, on Vancouver Island and at the Vancouver Coast and Mountain Regional Tourism, which saw a rise in visitation of 6.5 percent and 17.3 percent respectively. However, this increase may be in part the result of decreased hours of operations, and not a change to visitation to the region.
As a part of the $700,000 Circle Route Tour program, seven new circle routes have been recently introduced by the provincial government. This program will see signage and promotional efforts being made to encourage visitors and residents alike to explore varying parts of the province. The new signs feature the yellow, white and blue provincial logo, along with a blue tab at the bottom identifying the name of the circle route. The new routes include the Hot Springs Route, the Great Northern Route, The Heritage Dsicovery Route, The Coast Cariboo Route, the Mountains and Vineyards Route, the Lakes and Trails Route and the Ranchlands and Rivers Route. The route signs will be installed over the next two months as weather permits.
The Royal BC museum recently launched the first web resource that presents an integrated view of British Columbia’s human and natural history. The Museum’s Journeys & Transformations: British Columbia Landscapes, website highlights BC’s unique forests, mountains, waters, grasslands and cities. Each section includes topics relating to the geography, natural history, and historical development of British Columbia, focusing on transformations that have affected its people, land flora and fauna. This new site also provides accounts provided by First Nations. The on-line exhibit is part of the ongoing Virtual Museum of Canada (VMC) project and can be visited on the Royal British Columbia website. (http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/exhibts/journeys/english/index.html )
The Council of Tourism Associations of BC (COTA) and Tourism British Columbia are calling for nominations for the 2005 Tourism Industry Awards, which take place during the Tourism Industry Conference. The deadline for nominations has been extended until December 20th, 2004 for awards including, The Tourism Industry Leader of the Year, the Best Tourism Marketing Campaign, The Environmentally Responsible Tourism Award, The Tourism Media Award, the Outside of the Box Award, the SuperHost Customer Service Award, the Technology in Tourism Award and new this year, the Employees First Award. If you know of someone who deserves recognition for the hard work they have done to promote and develop the tourism industry the Awards form and criteria are available on the Tourism BC website (http://www.tourismbc.com/). This year’s tourism industry awards dinner will occur February 24, 2005 at the Westin Bayshore Hotel.
Victoria will play host to one of the industry’s largest trade shows on November 28th – December 1st, 2005. Established in 1989 the Canada’s West Marketplace® trade show is a partnership between Travel Alberta and Tourism British Columbia and represents the largest trade show in Western Canada. The marketplace brings together tourism suppliers and buyers in one location and has proven to be an excellent opportunity for tourism businesses to promote their products to tour operators, wholesalers and travel media representatives from around the world.
The provincial government recently announced the transfer of land to accommodate a new $2 million “Gateway to BC,” a provincial visitor information centre at Golden. Golden represents an entryway into BC and sees more than 4,000 car each day pass through. The new provincial information centre will welcome visitors, and guide them to the world-class destinations both in the Kootenay Rocky region, and throughout British Columbia. The province, represented by Land and Water British Columbia Inc., negotiated a land exchange with a private road maintenance company to acquire a site with highway access. The visitor information centre is expected to create up to 40 person years of employment during the construction phase. It is expected to welcome up to 150,000 visitors each year, and result in more than $2 million annually in additional economic benefits including as many as 30 direct jobs in the community. The total cost of the project is approximately $2 million, two-thirds of which is being provided through the Canada-BC Infrastructure Program. The remaining $700,000 is being provided by the community of Golden and surrounding area, and Kicking Horse Mountain Resort Limited Partnership.
Tourism Coquitlam’s passport program, which encourages visitors and members of the community to visit the many attractions offered in Coquitlam, has resulted in a remarkable story for the season. After visiting an event or activity visitors to Coquitlam have their passports stamped after which they can be entered in a draw to win the grand prize, the “Shop like a Celebrity” package which offers a $1000 shopping spree at Coquitlam Centre. . This year’s winner, Dorothy Flynn, is dealing with a tough living situation, dealing with a severely disabled daughter on a low income. Hearing this news, Barb Stegemann of Tourism Coquitlam called Cheryl McClintick of Coquitlam Centre, informing her that Dorothy would be callingand outlining how special this win was for Dorothy. After hearing Dorothy’s story, Cheryl doubled the size of the prize and will allow Dorothy to spend the grand prize at her leisure over the coming year, rather than over one hour as outlined in the prize. Now Dorothy can buy the things that her family needs at her convenience. This story is an excellent example of how the things that we do, whether they are the efforts we make in our work, or within our personal lives, can improve and change people’s lives. COTA would like to thank Barb Stegemann for bringing this heartening story of Christmas to our attention, and wish everyone a happy holiday.
In an effort to ensure that communities across the province will be able to share in the benefits of the upcoming 2010 Olympic Games, the province has committed $20 million to the Olympic/Paralympic Live Sites program. This program will provide funding for the construction or upgrading of facilities that leave a lasting Olympic legacy within the community and for the development of Olympic event viewing venues, such as theaters, multi-media or portable teleconferencing systems, dedicated media rooms and major equipment purchases such as overhead display systems. Local governments outside of the Lower Mainland, and the Whistler-Squamish corridor, including unincorporated rural areas, and registered non-profit societies, whose applications have been endorsed by local government, are eligible to submit an application.
