 Summer has arrived and with summer comes many visitors and lots of fun.
For those that you have not heard, we had two familiarization tours come into our region, yielding great success. The first one was with Sports Leisure Vacations (SLV), a bus tour company out of the USA. Ramona from SLV has been working for years with Amy to have her group come up and explore our glorious region. She was here in May and had a great time along the Gold Rush Trail. Thank you to the stakeholders that participated and Sandy Reid with Destination BC, for making Ramona's trip MORE than she expected. I have since heard from Ramona and she will be bringing her group up in the fall of 2017, well done everyone! And thanks, of course, to the wild creatures that we had the opportunity to see; badgers, black bears, moose and rabbits. Yes it was a great trip. In June we welcomed a very large group of elite German tour operators to the Chilcotin and Great Bear Rainforest. The weather was amazing while they were here and they had a great time with the product they experienced. Thank you to those that took part in this tour. A huge shout out goes to my colleague Remco Wijnhorst for stepping in and taking over the first part of the FAM, and continuing on the rest of the way. I could not have done it without your help. Yes, it was three years of planning but it was well worth it. One stakeholder said "It was the ultimate power group! Best FAM ever...super high value...thank you!!Upon receipt of the final reports from our visiting partners and Destination BC, I will share feedback with you.  I have been very busy learning my new role as the travel trade representative, learning more about your product and where you are all located. I have had a few site visits and I'm thrilled about what I get to sell every time I speak to someone. I know of the glorious views and the wildlife but your properties are truly outstanding. I will be making more visits to support my learning in the months to come. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me. We have a great team working for you and your property. Chinese Investment Leaders FAM TourCCCTA had the pleasure of supporting a unique FAM trip from June 15-22. Led by the Cariboo Regional District and MCC Elite Club, we partnered with Barkerville Historic Town, the Districts of 100 Mile House and Wells, the Cities of Williams Lake and Quesnel, and the Chinese Consulate General in Vancouver. Following the Gold Rush Trail, rediscovering culture sites and connections, finding investment opportunities and uncovering our great tourism potential, this power group had a whirlwind itinerary which also included the Barkerville Gala. Stakeholder and participant feedback has been very positive and we look forward to more tours with MCC in the future.
One stakeholder had a special thank-you to our business and community partners for their patience and passion in bringing this unique trip to life:
"We feel that this was a very valuable experience for our business, giving us some exposure to clients we otherwise would not have reached through individual marketing alone." Enjoy the rest of the summer and remember... "Some of the best memories are made in flip flops." - Kellie Elmore | 
