4VI

Two members of the 4VI team - Brian Cant and Tracy Zeisberger - have been in Edmonton this week for Destination Canada's Rendezvous Canada, the largest annual gathering of tourism professionals, business owners, tour operators, and partners. With more than 70 individual appointments, we have connected with tourism product and package buyers from more than 10 countries, all who have a keen interest in the sustainable growth of tourism in the Vancouver Island Region. Businesses are a key part of our four pillars of social responsibility, ensuring that we collectively move toward a positive future. Our role is to help drive strong connections between our operators and those wishing to help sell their products both domestically and internationally. Thank you to Destination Canada, Destination British Columbia, Travel Alberta, and Explore Edmonton Corporation for the amazing hospitality provided to our team and the more than 1,400 delegates in attendance. #vancouverisland #bctourism #sustainability

🚌 Island Link Bus has expanded service for the Vancouver Island Region! For details, visit: https://lnkd.in/d8egxTm9 As part of our Climate Action Plan - built off our Carbon Audit for the Region - we have identified that both carpooling and using transit are effective ways to reduce per capita carbon emissions. Read more about that work here: https://lnkd.in/gUTKeS3J #vancouverisland #bctourism #sustainability

📢 SUSTAINABTILITY MICRO-GRANT APPLICATIONS OPEN – FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED! Find everything you need to know, from timelines and tips on preparing your application to example projects, here: https://lnkd.in/g7x3ZNjT 📋 This program offers up to $15,000 to support projects focused on enhancing operational sustainability, reducing operating costs through efficient resource use, achieving sustainability certification, and enhancing preparedness for climate events.   ❗ DON’T WAIT – APPLY NOW for funding to implement a climate adaptation project or obtain sustainability certification. Kootenay Rockies Tourism Association Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) Northern BC Tourism Association Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism 4VI Indigenous Tourism BC (ITBC) Vancouver, Coast & Mountains Tourism Region #BCTourismCounts #Sustainability

Meet Val from Vancouver Island Whale Watch in Nanaimo, BC. She recently signed the company up for the Biosphere program. Val was able to use the framework to help work through the UN Sustainable Development Goals and align them to the work that the company is doing. Congratulations to Vancouver Island Whale Watch for becoming one of the latest Biosphere Committed businesses in the Vancouver Island Region. For more information on the Biosphere program, visit: https://lnkd.in/gUTKeS3J Learn more about Vancouver Island Whale Watch here: https://lnkd.in/gJrWJ8Wr #sustainability #biosphere #vancouverisland #bctourism

Tourism continues to grow on the south Island with the City of Langford recently approving a new 103 unit hotel property in the downtown core. Congratulations to the team at the City for their ongoing commitment to sustainably growing the tourism sector in the West Shore. https://lnkd.in/gw_MMx6Q #vancouverisland #langford #bctourism

New hotel options in the Vancouver Island Region are critical to the long-term success of the tourism industry. Opening this weekend in Campbell River is Naturally Pacific Resort, featuring 100 guest rooms and suites. The property is locally and independently owned, which adds further benefit to the local economy. Congratulations to the team! Destination British Columbia Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) #vancouverisland #bctourism #campbellriver

We were on hand to celebrate the latest and greatest updates and stories from around the Vancouver Island Region as part of our Team BC delegation in Seattle this week. The 12 representatives from around our province met with more than two dozen Seattle and region-based journalists, continuing to foster and strengthen new and long-standing relationships. Travel media is one of eight key program areas that 4VI delivers on behalf of Destination BC for the Region. With all things, our focus is on sustainable growth balanced with the needs of businesses and residents. Thank you to Destination British Columbia for being our coordinator and organizer for this event. #vancouverisland #bctourism #teambc #sustainability

📸 “Postcards from BC” featuring Brian Cant at the RED Mountain Resort Rossland! 4VI Would you like your image to appear in our weekly Postcards from BC feature? Contact deborah@tiabc.ca

Recognizing the increased costs to businesses due to property crime and vandalism in rural and urban communities across the province, the Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation has launched its $10.5 million Securing Small Business Rebate Program, which will provide small businesses with funds for eligible commercial property crime and vandalism repairs, or to implement eligible preventative measures. The BC Chamber of Commerce will administer the rebate program.    Program is open now and will run to January 2025 or until funds are expended, covering expenses incurred between January 2023 to December 30, 2024. There are two funding streams: - Eligible businesses can receive up to $2,000 for reparative costs to cover expenses such as broken windows, locks and doors, and graffiti removal. - Businesses can also apply for up to $1,000 for preventative measures such as shatterproof glass, locks, cameras, alarms, security lighting, and gates. #smallbusiness #vancouverisland 4VI gratefully acknowledges that we live, work and play on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Kwakwaka’wakw, Nuu-chah-nulth, and Coast Salish peoples

The year in review is in! As the tourism industry recovers from the COVID-19 global pandemic, the British Columbia Regional Tourism Secretariat (BCRTS) continues to provide baseline research to support the industry as it moves forward. Key themes we found in this report: While domestic travel seems to be tapering off slightly, the domestic trend also seems to be less towards seasonal travel and more towards a year-round experience base. U.S travel is booming with new markets leading numbers in 2023 such as Nebraska and Montana. International travel is also back in a big way with Europe our biggest demographic but with Oceania and Asia increasing by around 100% over last year. Read the full report below #VancouverIsland #visitorresearch #tourismresearch #tourism 4VI gratefully acknowledges that we live, work and play on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Kwakwaka’wakw, Nuu-chah-nulth, and Coast Salish peoples.