Tourism Industry Association of BC
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February 29, 2016
Chair's Message 
TIABC was among a large BC delegation to visit Ottawa recently as part of Premier Clark's BC Jobs Roundtable with the federal government.
 
I had the opportunity to join Minister Shirley Bond, TIABC board members David MacKenzie (also chair of BCHA) and Paula Amos (AtBC), as well as TIABC members from go2HR (Debbie Yule) and BCHA (James Chase) to raise awareness of tourism labour needs with Members of Parliament who were unaware of the magnitude of the issue in British Columbia.
 
While the labour file is both large and complex, TIABC is leading the charge on the notion of a Seasonal Tourism Workers Program, similar to the agriculture industry initiative that allows for easier access to temporary workers from other countries if the need arises.

Debbie Yule (centre) presenting at the BC Jobs Roundtable in Ottawa
 
Honourable Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism & Skills Training and Jim Humphrey, Chair TIABC

Part of the BC delegation with Honourable Bardish Chagger, Minister of Small Business & Tourism and Premier Christy Clark 

















Just this week, CEO Walt Judas, board member Paul Nursey and I met with Minister Bond to discuss labour and other issues that affect British Columbia's visitor economy.  We look forward to working with government in the weeks and months ahead to address these concerns on behalf of our members.

We are also deep into the planning stages for the TIABC AGM and Summit at Sun Peaks in May.  Provincial and federal government representatives have been personally invited to attend and participate. Registration for the event will be open soon.
 
In the meantime, we are putting the final touches to our new website, preparing for our March board meeting, working on advocacy files, and meeting with members and stakeholders throughout the province.
 
We'd love to hear from you so feel free to drop us a line at any time.

~Jim Humphrey
Chair, TIABC
TIABC News
TIABC 2016 AGM & Summit 

Mark your calendars for TIABC's AGM & Summit, May 24-26 at Sun Peaks. Although the agenda is still being finalized, the preliminary schedule includes:

May 24th - Evening Reception hosted by Tourism Sun Peaks
May 25th - TIABC AGM and Town Hall (co-hosted with TIAC); presentations by federal and provincial tourism ministers (to be confirmed), sector roundtables, dinner hosted by Sun Peaks Grand Hotel
May 26th - Breakfast, concurrent sessions, closing lunch, post-event activities (optional)

A special thank you to our two Gold Level event partners. For sponsorship opportunities and other event details, please contact TIABC. Registration and other details to come shortly.






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TIABC Call for Board Nominations

The Tourism Industry Association of BC is inviting members to nominate candidates for Board of Director positions for the term beginning in May 2016. It is important to note that only active members can nominate and/or vote. 

All nominations from members must be received 45 days prior to the Annual General Meeting. Therefore, any nominations for director positions must be received on or before April 8, 2016.

To download the nomination form, click  here or visit the TIABC website at: www.tiabc.ca/2016-call-for-board-nominations

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TIABC Signs MOU with Royal Roads University

TIABC and Royal Roads University (RRU) formally signed an MOU this week to work together to build and execute educational projects connected to tourism research. RRU Masters-level tourism students will assist TIABC with its BC Tourism Matters initiative that aims to establish, build and promote the value of tourism as a business sector within British Columbia.  As well, students will be conducting research to help inform and bolster TIABC's efforts in tourism crisis management planning, climate change and other key projects.




TIABC Chair Jim Humphrey and RRU President Dr. Allan Cahoon sign the agreement at RRU's Hatley Castle with Professor Brian White and CEO Walt Judas looking on.
Industry News

TIAC CEO Address to the Finance Committee

On February 17th, President and CEO Charlotte Bell presented TIAC's pre-budget submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance (FINA). 

The 2016 pre-Budget process was truncated to four days of hearings and TIAC was one of only 89 total witnesses invited to testify. TIAC focused on the need to increase Destination Canada's budget so international visitors are aware that the low dollar makes it an ideal time to travel to Canada. TIAC also argued that the additional marketing investment is needed to compensate for the approximate 30% loss of buying power for marketing internationally.
Read TIAC's presentation here.
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Aboriginal Tourism BC Seeks New Marketing Manager

Aboriginal Tourism BC is looking for a talented individual to lead their marketing department, promoting Aboriginal tourism - the fastest growing sector in BC's tourism industry!
 
Click here for a copy of the job posting. 
www.bcregistryservices.gov.bc.ca/bcreg/societiesact/index.page? 
Tourism Vernon Launches New Consumer Website

Tourism Vernon launched their new consumer website recently - 
www.tourismvernon.com 

This has been a huge project for Tourism Vernon, who now have a solid digital foundation to build upon that is responsive, offers multi-lingual options and is accessibility compliant.

Congratulations! TIABC knows how much works goes into a new website.
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Deadline Extended for Emergency Program Act Input
The deadline for local government input into the Emergency Program Act (EPA) has been extended until April 22, 2016. Introduced in 1993, the EPA outlines the key responsibilities and authorities used to direct local and provincial authorities in emergency and disaster preparation, response and recovery. Learn more at:
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TIABC Congratulates New CITAP Executive Director

 



May 2016 Census

Research 
 

British Columbia approaches five million international visitors in 2015
The annual statistics for 2015 were released in February and British Columbia saw a remarkable 7.9% increase in international visitors over the previous year. Read the press release at: 

Custom Entries
Year-end overnight custom entries data is in and the data reconfirms that 2015 has been a successful year for British Columbia. US entries into BC grew 9%, with almost 300K more overnight US entries. Total international visitor arrivals has reached over 4.9 million, an increase of 7.9 % over 2014. 

See all international visitor arrivals and year-end totals on the Destination BC website.

Tourism Indicators
Passenger volume to YVR in 2015 was over 20.3 million, an increase of 4.9% compared to 2014. Over 20.4 million passengers travelled on BC Ferries in 2015, an increase of 4.0% over 2014.

Find up-to-date tourism indicators information on the Destination BC website.
Calendar of Events
April 11, 2016

April 24-27, 2016

TIABC AGM & Summit - Sun Peaks, BC
May 24-26, 2016

May 24-29, 2016

May 29-June 4, 2016

June 1-6, 2016

September 26-30, 2016

October 4-6, 2016


Visit TIABC's Event Calendar for more events. Tell us about your event and we will add it to the list.