British Columbia – Destination BC, with support from PacifiCan, has announced the completion of 11 new Community Tourism Plans, representing primarily small and rural communities across the province, through its Community Tourism Planning Initiative.
Each plan aims to ensure tourism growth respects local culture, supports businesses and benefits residents. This approach allows for balanced, sustainable growth that enhances the well-being of local communities and the experience of visitors.
“Our new tourism development strategy is based on the Kitimat District’s new five-year economic development strategy, which focuses on projects that align with federal and state priorities and positions Kitimat to target a variety of funding sources. Kitimat has the momentum for tourism development that will benefit both residents and visitors,” said Laurel D’Andrea, executive director of the Kitimat Chamber of Commerce.
The Community Tourism Planning Initiative was designed to help communities develop tourism in ways that work for them. The initiative helped British Columbia communities, particularly small and rural communities, develop a long-term vision for tourism and help the tourism sector recover and rebuild post-COVID. It also connected communities with experienced facilitators to lead collaborative planning processes. As a result, participating communities developed comprehensive tourism plans, engaged a wide range of local partners, and explored opportunities for sustainable economic development.
The communities and champion organizations involved in this effort
Clinton (Village of Clinton) Cortez Island (Cortez Area Economic Development Association) Dawson Creek (City of Dawson Creek) Delta (Tourist Delta/Delta Chamber of Commerce) Elkford (Elkford District) Kitimat (Kitimat Chamber of Commerce) Lake Country (Lake Country District) Lillooet (Lillooet Chamber of Commerce) Metchosing, Sooke to Port Renfrew (Metchosing District, Sooke District, WorkLink Employment Association) South Kootenay (Trail and District Chamber of Commerce) 100 Mile House and South Cariboo (100 Mile House District)
“Thanks to the generous support of the Pacifican Tourism Relief Fund, Destination BC has partnered with small, rural communities to help them overcome challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. We applaud the strong local leadership and thoughtful tourism plans by these communities, which were developed with valuable input from residents and businesses. Partnerships like this are critical to building a strong, resilient tourism industry, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact they will have in their communities and across the province,” said Allison MacKay, vice president of Destination Management at Destination BC.
Business Examiner Staff
