Council of Tourism Associations of British Columbia

Comox Valley Tourism (CVT) is calling for local photographers to submit a photo for the cover of their Visitors Guide 2006. The photographer will receive a cash prize of $500, full member benefits with CVT and their photo featured on the cover of the guide which has a distribution of 70,000 copies. The deadline for submission is September 5, 2005. CVT asks that the submission be high resolution and of a vertical orientation. For more information, contact the Comox Valley Tourism office at 250-334-6199 or email meaghan@comox-valley-tourism.ca

The Union of BC Municipalities has announced the Executive approval of Phase I of the Community Tourism Funding Program. The Funding Program Phase I will make available 50% of the $25 million funding announced by the Premier at last year’s UBCM Convention in two separate parts. Part I of Phase I will make available approximately $9 million. Details of the funding program can be found by clicking here. The program includes several guidelines and restrictions including the requirement for a plan on how the funds will be spent. For more information, visit www.civicnet.bc.ca

go2 has released the results of a recent study which surveyed multiple tourism sectors in B.C., determining the top recruitment issues for B.C.'s tourism operators. Finding qualified and experienced employees ranked the number one recruitment issue by 41% of the respondents. Specifically, 19% of the respondents said that recruiting Cooks was the most difficult task, followed by Housekeepers with 18% support. For full release, click here.

On July 23, the Vancouver Aquarium welcomed a new dolphin to their Wild Coast Exhibit. The Pacific white-sided dolphin named Laverne is a previous resident of SeaWorld in San Antonio, Texas. Laverne is 27 years old and can now be found in the Aquarium along with Spinnaker, the exhibit's 18 year old dolphin. For more information, visit http://www.vanaqua.org/.

Tourism BC announced the appointment of Anthony Rippingale to the position of Sales Manager, Asia. Mr. Rippingale has worked for the past four years as a Marketing Coordinator for Asia at Tourism BC. He has a Masters degree on post-war Japanese society and has worked for a number of organizations including the Royal BC Museum, the University of Victoria, the National Trust Company and the Japan Foundation offices in Osaka. For more information on Tourism BC and their programs, click here.

The Ministry of Forests and Range has announced a number of investments in BC communities to help them reduce forest fire risks. Eastgate, located on the eastern boundary of Manning Provincial Park, will receive $65,000 and $15,000 will go to the Regional District of the Okanagan-Similkameen. These funds will be dedicated to forest fire risk assessments and provide reports on recommendations on reducing those risks. These reports will be applied to prioritizing fuel reduction activities. For more information on these grants and forest fire prevention, visit http://www.for.gov.bc.ca.

The City of Vancouver has announced traffic restrictions in Vancouver during the HSBC Celebration of Light competition on the evenings of July 27, 30 and August 3, 6. The Celebration of Light fireworks display is held on an annual basis and attracts thousands of visitors. Due to the high number of pedestrians, vehicle access will be restricted in the West End and Kits Point from roughly 6pm to 11:30pm. Only residents, buses, taxis, delivery trucks and emergency vehicles will be granted access. The public is recommended to take public transport where possible. For more information, click here.

An estimated 148,000 people attended this year’s Merritt Mountain Music Festival, breaking all previous attendance records. The six-day event showcased a variety of musicians such as Tim McGraw, Paul Brandt, Doc Walker, George Canyon and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. For the first time in the festival’s history the tickets were sold out for their Friday performance featuring Tim McGraw. As well as musical performances, there were a number of daily activities including scavenger hunts, logging sport exhibitions, firework displays and a variety of food, merchandise and concessions. For more information on the festival, visit www.mountainfest.com.

According to the UK Tourism Industry Emergency Response, the July 7 attacks on London could cost their tourism industry the equivalent to approximately $689 million Canadian in lost revenue. As a result, the group has commissioned the Oxford Economic Forecasting to report on the impact of the attacks on the tourism industry. Economists have expressed concern over the second bombing incidents, which occurred on July 21st. Many fear the long term consequences of a perception of London as an ‘unsafe’ place to visit. Despite their concerns, a BBC report said that tourism operators are expecting business to continue as normal. So far, British Airways has not reported any notable decline in bookings and the Association of British Travel Agents has been quoted by the BBC saying "We don't expect this to result in a downturn in tourists to London". For more information, visit http://www.visitbritain.com/corporate/.

The BC Ferry Commissioner has approved the implementation of a fuel surcharge on all ferry routes. The surcharge, which comes into effect on July 25, will result in an average 4% increase on major routes and 6% on all other routes. The surcharge comes as a result of high fuel costs which have been projected to be 45% higher than two years ago. To view a list of the surcharges, click here. For details of the Commissioner’s ruling, visit www.bcferrycommission.com.

The Coalition for the Licensing & Registration of Off- Road Vehicles in BC has recently released a report on recommended policy and regulation changes to the management of off-road vehicles. The proposal’s recommendations include: 1) legislation that would require licensing and registration of all motorized off-road vehicles in BC and the prominent display of a vehicle license and/or decal; 2) some of the revenue collected from the licensing program would be dedicated to a Trust Fund which would be available for off-road vehicle recreation groups for education and safety programs, trail development including maintenance and enhancement, enforcement, conservation and stewardship. To read the report, click here. COTA welcomes industry feedback and requests that all comments be submitted to info@cotabc.com by August 31, 2005.

The Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council (CTHRC) has begun preparations for their Annual Tourism HR Forum. Setting sail for beautiful Halifax Nova Scotia, the 5th Annual Tourism HR Forum titled “Navigate the Future: Invest in your people”, will take place November 3-5 at the Delta Halifax. Tourism human resource executives, managers and corporate trainers will come together from all sectors of the tourism industry together with industry association representatives and educators. The discussion will center on the challenges, issues and opportunities faced by human resource professionals in our industry with a clear focus on sharing ideas and solutions. E-mail hrforum@cthrc.ca to receive a copy of the Preliminary Program when it becomes available or visit www.cthrc.ca for more information.

The CAW/CATCA (air traffic controllers union) has announced strike action effective the morning of July 22, 2005 against NAV CANADA, provider of civil air navigation services. The union’s strike action will include the withdrawal of training services to unlicensed student trainees. The strike is not expected to interrupt air traffic flow. NAV CANADA has been negotiating with the union over the last four month previous to the expiration of their collective agreement on March 31, 2005. Both groups continue to meet. For more information, call 1-888-562-8226 or visit www.navcanada.ca.

The CRD Parks and The Land Conservancy (TLC) celebrated the opening of the new Sooke Potholes Regional Park with both residents and visitors on June 26th, 2005. The new park features 63.5 heactares along the Sooke River on Vancouver Island. The area contains unique geological formations of deep rock pools. CRD Parks contributed a total of $2.4 million over three years to the project and TLC contributed $945,000 to the acquisition and associated costs of the park. TLC will own 8.5 hectares of the park land, and have reopened the existing campground as the Sooke Potholes Campground. For more information visit www.sookepotholes.ca or contact TLC at (250) 479-8056.

According to GT Hiring Solutions Inc., a subsidiary of Grant Thornton LLP, supervisory and mid-management positions in British Columbia's booming tourism industry will be among the most in-demand positions between now and 2010. To help tourism operators find ideal management candidates, GT Hiring Solutions launched the Landings tourism hiring service. Landings concentrates on the hardest-to-fill positions in tourism like Sales and Conference Managers, Front Office Managers, Head Housekeepers, Sous Chefs, Chefs and Restaurant Managers. For more information, click here.

The onset of the summer travel season is BC's busiest construction season. Construction projects will create some delays and the Ministry of Transportation will try to advise affected businesses and communities of delays, closures, and detours well in advance. With $554-million being invested in more than 400 road and bridge improvements projects, this fiscal year alone, the Ministry of Transportation is working hard to improve access through provincial gateways, as well as upgraded airports, marine and rail links, and roads to help your customers reach you sooner. For a summary of projects in BC tourism regions, click here.

Tourism, Sports and the Arts Minister Olga Ilich, has announced the BC executive team for the 2007 Western Canada Summer Games and the 2007 Canada Winter Games. James Keogh has been appointed as Team BC’s chef de mission and Bruce Wasylik will act the assistant chef de mission for the Western Canada Summer Games. Ajay Patel was appointed chef de mission for Team BC in the 2007 Winter Games and will be assisted by Chris Graham, assistant chef de mission, as well as Tami Tate, operations manager. For more information on these appointments, visit http://www.news.gov.bc.ca/.

On July 13, the US Department of Homeland Security extended their implementation of the new US-VISIT exit procedures to the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The exit program applies to all foreign visitors to the US and requires many of them to ‘check-out’ of the country, generally via new biometric procedures. Biometric records include the capture of a digital photograph of the traveller and index finger scans. Upon completion of the review, the travellers would recieve a receipt confirming that the individual has checked out of the country. Exit procedures are already being piloted in various airports and seasports across the country. For more information about the exit procedures, visit www.dhs.gov/us-visit.

Although the aftermath of the bombings in London has yet to be fully determined, tourism association representatives throughout the UK recently held emergency talks to discuss the impact of these events on tourism in their region. The group called the Tourism Industry Emergency Response Group also met after September 11, the Iraq War and during the Sars crisis. So far, neither Canada nor the UK have reported any significant drop in visitors, but both nations will be watching the market closely for significant changes. To read more, click here.

The Airline Industry Monitoring Consortium of BC (AIM BC) recently delivered the BC tourism industry’s views on expanding the current open skies agreement with the U.S. to federal air transportation overseer Brigita Gravitis-Beck. The submission comes after a recent federal call for feedback on widening the current Canada/US air bilateral. AIM BC is supportive of including fifth freedom rights in any new open skies agreement with the U.S. For example, a single daily Taipei-Vancouver-New York service on China Airlines would increase economic output by over $20 million and generate over $8 million in wages. More liberal open skies agreements are important because they increase a country’s share of the lucrative international tourism market. AIM BC publications are always online. Visit the COTA publications library at www.cotabc.com/publications. Search library using keyword: Air Policies.

The Business Council of BC has just released their quarterly report on BC’s Economic Index. The findings show an increase of 1.2% from the first quarter of 2005, which is almost two times the average gains registered between 1990 and 2004. Retail spending and job growth lead the way in contributing to the economy’s growth. The Business Council credits, in part, the decrease of international visitors and decline in manufacturing shipments to the higher Canadian dollar. To read the document, click here.

As a seasonal employer, it can be hard to find qualified and committed employees who will work for a short period of time. Go2 has provided the following tips on how to encourage valuable seasonal employees to return year after year: 1) Ask why employees would choose not to come back by conducting an exit interview. 2) Make employees feel like part of the team year round by keeping in touch with them during the off season. 3) Collaborate within your community to identify opposite seasonal locations for them through employee exchanges. 4) Give incentives for employees to return, such as higher pay, a returning bonus, or a loyalty program that gives incentives for each year an employee returns. 5) Use your marketing savvy to brand yourself as an ideal employer. 6) Learn ways in which you can be a better leader, manager, mentor and coach. 7) Treat your employees as well as customers. 8) Provide as much training and recognition as you can. 9) Offer flexible working conditions. 10) Consider the needs of the employee’s family life. 11) Consider alternate sources for employees such as older workers or early retirees. 12) Work with private and public agencies, schools and college. To view this entire article and learn more about retaining seasonal employees, click here.

Google Earth is a revolutionary new mapping program, which gives users not only topographical and road information, but offers three dimensional images that demonstrate the locations of hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions and other businesses. Satellite photographs of landscapes and towns reproduce images as small as individual cars. As the user zooms in on a location, the map is able to display local points of interest and facts. For more information, visit http://earth.google.com/.

Once again Air Canada reports record load factors for the fifteenth consecutive month. Domestic passenger load factor for the month of June was recorded at 81.2% and overall passenger load factor reached 81.3%. The Canada mainline carriers flew 5.6% more revenue passenger miles year-to-date. Jazz (Air Canada’s subsidiary) flew 22.7% more revenue passenger miles year-to-date. Regionally, North American traffic for both Air Canada and Jazz rose by 10.1%. For more information, click here.

The Honourable Anne McLellan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), has launched a process of consultations on a proposed Fairness Initiative which would ensure those using the border crossing and working with CBSA are treated fairly. The initiative outlines a series of service expectation including: respect and courtesy, fair application of the law, privacy and confidentiality, bilingual service, accurate information about entitlements and obligations and review of CBSA’s actions or decisions. Consultations are expected to be complete by the fall 2005. To read more, click here.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada recently released their report on the state of the Pacific Ocean in 2004. The report’s findings suggest that the ocean is warming as a result of unusual weather patterns and general global warming. The consequences of warmer ocean water vary. The Fraser River received record high temperatures in 2004, which is believed to be a factor contributing to the low Sockeye spawning numbers. Other observations of the effects of higher water temperatures include: Hake spotted further north, increased number of southern species of zooplankton, earlier blooming date for the northern zooplankton, the decline in numbers of cold water species off Vancouver Island (ex. Shrimp), Jumbo squid (a warm water animal) were spotted in BC and Alaska waters, the first successful invasion of an Atlantic zooplankton species called the Acartia tonsa. To read the full report, click here.

An exciting program is being put together for Canada’s Tourism Leadership Summit, taking place October 23-25, in Charlevoix, Québec. This year’s Summit will feature panel debates, information sessions and dynamic speakers, such as Peter C. Yesawich who will discuss the latest research on American travel intentions to Canada and its marketing implications. For more information or to register for the Summit, visit http://www.tiac-aitc.ca/english/Summit_travelinfo.asp.

The Juan de Fuca trail between kilometer 2.3 and 13 has been shut down after recent black bear sightings. The bear has been seen going through packs and caches and it is believed to have become accustomed to people. For information and trail updates, click here.

The US Visa Waiver Program (VWP) deadline has been extended for another year due to the continued development of complex biometric standards. 27 countries are participating in the program and the US Department of Homeland Security has determined that, in the meantime, passports with digital photographs will be required. With only six EU nations on schedule to meet the previous VWP deadline, the Perimeter Coalition (link to website) argues that the USA had little choice but to extend the deadline. They also suggest that the Department of Homeland Security is seeking out an easier way to implement the requirements of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (2004). For more information, visit www.perimeterclearance.org

Construction is nearing completion on a BC showcase building for the 2006 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. The building, called the BC Canada House, will host educational displays on BC’s tourism and business opportunities. The log house will be made from beetle-killed pine and manufactured by Sitka Log Homes in 100 Mile House. The building is expected to be assembled and open to the public starting in January 2006 in Torino. For more information, click here.

London’s public transport system experienced a number of timed bomb attacks during their morning rush hour on July 7, 2005. The bombings are still being fully investigated by Scotland Yard. No major disruptions to the tourism industry have yet been reported from either the UK or Canada as a consequence of this incident. Stay tuned to www.cotabc.com for more information.

It did not take long for the BC Ministry of Transportation to set up a free marine ferry for Kelowna residents when approximately 80 meters of road along the west side of the Okanagan Lake collapsed following some blasting in the area, just before the long weekend rush. Although residents and tourists were expected to wait another two weeks for Westside Road access from Kelowna, work crews have been working double shifts and have revised the date of re-opening to a week ahead of initial estimates. In the meantime, for those travelling to the area, more information on the road and access to Bear Creek Provincial Park can be found at www.th.gov.bc.ca/westside.

The Council of Tourism Associations of British Columbia (COTA) is celebrating the launch of Tourism at the Borders: Balancing Security and Hospitality, the first report in COTA’s new BC Tourism Review Series. Sponsored by the Port of Vancouver and The Perimeter Clearance Coalition, the document offers a detailed analysis of current border crossing initiatives in Canada and the USA and how they are affecting the flow of visitors into Canada at this time. Read more.

Hunting and trapping regulations are now available for the 2005-2006 season. Published by the BC Hunting and Trapping Regulations Synopsis, copies of the regulations are available online, at government offices, and at locations that sell hunting and trapping licenses. Hunters and trappers are encouraged to review the publication as changes may have occurred in various provincial regions. For more information or to view an electronic copy, visit www.gov.bc.ca/wlap.

The Council of Tourism Associations of BC welcomes Virginia Greene to the position of Deputy Minister of Tourism, Sports and the Arts. Virginia Greene has had a long history of working with BC tourism operators as the former Assistant Deputy Minister of Marketing for Tourism BC and former chair of the Marketing Committee of the National Capital Commission in Ottawa. A recipient of the Queen’s 50th Jubilee Medal, her service to the community and her business accomplishments have long been recognized by BC communities. For more information, click here.

After undergoing repairs and investigations resulting from the BC Ferries accident on June 30th , the Queen of Oak Bay left Vancouver Dry Dock on the morning of July 6th to start a series of extensive sea trials. Representatives from Transport Canada, the Transportation Safety Board, and Lloyd’s Register of Shipping are present onboard the ferry during these tests. The ferry will not be given permission to return to service until Transport Canada is satisfied with the trials’ results and re-issues an operating certificate. For more information visit www.bcferries.com.

The BC Tourism Industry Conference (TIC) has recently posted their online video summary of TIC 2005 on their website www.bctourismindustryconference.ca. Along with the video, 2005 photos are also featured online, reviewing the various seminars, trade show, and special events which took place during the three day conference.
Keep in mind that sponsorship opportunities are still available for TIC 2006, which will be taking place in Penticton from February 15-17, 2006. With over 600 delegates expected, this conference is the ultimate travel industry experience that you will not want to miss. The City of Penticton, the Chamber and its many members are all looking forward to hosting the biggest tourism industry event of the year and are working on a great program and networking opportunities. For more information, click here.