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COVID-19 UPDATE & GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
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- Today, the provincial government announced an additional $30 million investment in the Launch Online Grant program. Businesses in our hard-hit sector, like tour operators or hotels, and businesses in the service industry, such as massage therapists, personal trainers or hair stylists, can now access the grants to build or improve their online booking systems.
- The PHO has amended the gathering and events order. Up to 10 people can gather outdoors. Patios and outdoor areas at restaurants, pubs and bars are not included as places to gather with 10 people at one table. All restrictions for indoor gatherings remain in place.
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ADVOCACY REQUESTS Covid-19 Tourism Impact Survey
In collaboration with the BC Regional Tourism Secretariat, the BC Destination Marketing Organization Association, BC Hotel Association, and the Tourism Industry Association of BC, Tourism Vancouver is focused on rebuilding our industry. In support of this, we seek your input to help us understand the continued impacts the pandemic is having on our industry. You can view previous survey reports here:
Resiliency Research.
By you completing this survey, you will be aiding us in sourcing the information that is critical to support our collective work moving forward. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey before it closes on March 31st.
Send a Letter To Your Local MP
The Tourism Industry Association of Canada's (TIAC) Board and Recovery Committee Members are continuing to meet with MPs to share a recovery plan which includes sector specific needs.
By simply entering your postal code, TIAC has made it easy for you to support the industry by sending a pre-populated letter to your local MP.
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ADVOCACY
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BC Meetings & Events - Safe Restart Plan Proposal
The BC Meetings & Events Industry Working Group has presented its graduated Safe Restart Plan to the provincial government to coincide with the overall reopening of British Columbia.
Separated into four stages, the plan aims to protect the health and safety of the public while allowing controlled meetings and events within purpose-built venues – kick-starting BC’s devastated tourism sector, getting industry workers back to work, nurturing the mental health and wellness of British Columbians, and fostering business growth and innovation.
More information can be found at www.bcmeetingsandevents.ca
Please do not hesitate to contact Dave Gazley, dgazley@tourismvancouver.com, 604.868.7442
For any media inquiries please contact communications@bcha.com
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OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEMBERS
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Update Your Amenity - New Product Info & Covid-19 Updates
As we prepare for the summer season, we would like to ask for an update on your products and services in order to provide accurate information to our key audiences (travel trade, meeting planners, media, and visitors).
We invite you to fill out the expanded COVID-19 Updates Amenity in the extranet to provide the following information:
- Operating Status
- Re-opening Date
- Covid-19 Safety Plan (please provide website URL)
- New 2021 Procedures for Visitors (text area)
- New 2021 Products or service updates, commissionable for Travel Trade (text area)
- New 2021 Procedures for Meeting Planners (text area)
- New 2021 Seasonal Products or Services (text area)
- New 2021 Product Images (file upload)
For new products or services, please include a description summarizing the key selling points that tour operators, meeting planners or visitors would need to know. If you have an image of your new product or service, please attach it.
Note: A new product could include a new tour, significant renovations, a new vehicle, a new addition to your business, new itinerary or package that you are offering.
These amenities will remain in the extranet for you to update as you have new product offerings. Please familiarize yourself with where to update them so we can make sure to share the latest updates with our key audiences when promoting travel to Vancouver.
Additional Notes:
Travel Trade
New products will be shared in presentation updates in the coming weeks to receptive tour operators, key trade clients and travel agents. They should be export-ready and valid for travel trade clients. A summary of all new product updates will be shared during meetings at RVC in May.
Meeting Planners
New product updates will help our Meetings and Conventions team to recommend your new products and provide accurate information to meeting planners considering Vancouver as a potential meeting destination.
Media
New products can be shared with key media as story ideas to promote Vancouver to various audiences.
Visitor Services
These updates will help our Visitor Services team to respond to questions from potential visitors that come through in our online chat service and provide accurate information.
We ask that you complete your amenity by March 31st, 2021.
If you have any questions about the New Product Info & COVID-19 Updates Request, please contact the membership team, Nastassja Dorotich or Lucas Pavan
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DEADLINE TODAY FOR VIDEO SUBMISSIONS: Be a part of #LoveVancouver
Hello Tourism and Hospitality Industry! As part of our #LoveVancouver campaign, we want to feature people on your team who give Vancouver its heart. We are looking for a cross-section of people that impact the tourism industry (eg. Business owner, hotel concierge, restaurant server, YVR bag handler, farmer, fisherman, entertainer, artist, retailer, grocery store clerk, etc). Bring your best voice and submit a video of yourself in your place of work reading our love letter.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?
For those lucky submissions selected to be in our final #LoveVancouver video, you will receive a $100 Visa Gift Card.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: March 17, 2021
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Help Show Your Love for Vancouver
Tourism Vancouver's #LoveVancouver campaign is designed to celebrate what locals adore most about their beloved city. The new #LoveVancouver landing page, complete with a love letter to residents, highlights the best of the city, including specials for locals, The Arts and Exhibits on now, attractions and activities, places to stay, along with chances to win Vancouver prizes.
If you wish to be featured in the current #LoveVancouver promotion, you can do so by updating your member web listings (through the extranet) and your own business websites to ensure content is current, your status (open/re-opening soon) is clear, and to highlight whatever new or special offers are available.
This information will be pulled into the microsite from your member listing. Don’t forget to share the campaign with your own audiences, and refer to the Toolkit if you need tips for social, or image examples.
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INDUSTRY RESEARCH
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Overnight Visitor Volume to Vancouver Drops by -72% in 2020
After a modest start to the year, with overnight visitor volume growing by 3% in February of 2020, total annual visitation dropped by -72% to just over 3.0 million overnight visitors as the tourism industry was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
With borders closed to non-essential travel as of March 2020, most of the overnight visitor volume traffic to Vancouver was from the domestic market.
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Destination Canada Research: Canada's Visitor Economy - One Year Into the Pandemic
These presentations are intended for industry-at-large to quantify the impact of COVID-19. They provide updates on the state of the Canadian tourism sector at varying times in the outbreak by looking at the visitor demand forecast and break impact down by province and by key industry sectors.
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National and Provincial Resident Sentiment - March 9
Some highlights of the latest Destination Canada resident sentiment tracking results:
BC resident sentiment towards feeling safe to travel seems to have increased over the last several weeks. In particular, 73% are currently comfortable with travelling to nearby communities (of respondent/resident) while 59% have comfort with travelling to other communities in BC. Also notable is the significant increase in BC residents (currently 36%, up from 22% previously) who are comfortable with travelling to other provinces in Canada. Notable because if this trend continues, it suggests that other out-of-province destinations will start to become more of a domestic competitive destination for BC residents.
In terms of destination promotion, BC residents continue to be most happy with seeing advertising for BC targeted at potential visitors from nearby communities, followed by other parts of the province (net positive). Sentiment towards seeing advertising for BC targeted at other Canadian visitors (out of province), US and international visitors continue to be a net negative.
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TOURISM VANCOUVER WEBINARS & EVENTS
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WEBINAR TOMORROW: Support for Tourism Operators in Metro Vancouver & Getting Ready for Visitors
A review of the Vancouver, Coast & Mountains (VCM) Tourism Resiliency Program and new Spring Activator Resilience Program support.
March 18 | 10:30AM - 12:00PM | Online Via Zoom
The webinar will review support programs, upcoming deadlines and opportunities to review qualifications and strategies to maximize support with a resilience advisor.
During this webinar you will:
- Hear from businesses about how the advisors helped them survive and adapt
- Review the Government Financial Support programs and learn which are still under-subscribed and have upcoming deadlines
- Hear about how the Spring Activator Resilience Program might help you get ready to rebuild your business
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INDUSTRY EVENTS
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Meetings & Conventions – A Fresh Perspective on Engagement
March 23, 2021 | 2:00pm - 3:00pm CDT | Virtual
Join the award-winning author, radio host and three-time New York Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker, Dr. Kaye Wise Whitehead, as she connects the history of systemic racism to what is happening across the country in our cities, homes, and businesses. To make real change in our organizations and industry, Dr. Whitehead will discuss how we can all play a role in becoming more culturally responsive.
Lacy Hawley will be attending on behalf of Tourism Vancouver
March 25, 2021 | 11:30am – 1:00pm PST | Virtual
Join Tyra Warner while she deep dives into “Contracts and Negotiations in a Post COVID-19 World”. COVID-19 is novel in more than just a medical sense. It has made us consider whether and how to modify force majeure and cancellation clauses. Foreseeability is the new buzzword about force majeure and insurance. New issues regarding cleanliness, service, and safety call for new contract language. Where we used to want clarity, now we need flexibility. In this session, we will discuss how to negotiate the best contracts for existing meetings and for future meetings, all with the spectre of COVID-19 and an unclear future.
Owen Chiu will be attending on behalf of Tourism Vancouver
March 25, 2021 | 5:00pm - 7:00pm EST | Virtual
Join your guest host, Jackie Kavcak from Tourism Vancouver, and wrap up Q1 with some fun and friendly competition! Mix ‘N Quiz is a virtual trivia night designed to relieve stress and offer a fun, casual way to network with your peers. It’s easy, it’s short, and most of all, entertaining. You spoke and we listened! This month, we’ve added more time for connecting with your friends and colleagues. Don’t miss the pre-game festivities and extended post-game chats. Build a team or sign up by yourself and be assigned to a team. Team name and all team players must be submitted to
capital@pcma.org by Tuesday, March 23.
Jackie Kavcak will be attending on behalf of Tourism Vancouver
April 8, 2021 | 8:00am - 9:30am EST | Virtual
Join MPI Ottawa as they celebrate Global Meetings Industry Day online on April 8, 2021, where they bring together leaders from across the meetings and events industry, showcasing the impact that business meetings, conferences, conventions, incentive travel, trade shows and exhibitions have on our industry. Meeting professionals across the world participate in this international day of advocacy.
Tourism Vancouver is an education sponsor. Michelle Taylor will be attending on behalf of Tourism Vancouver.
April 13-16, 2021 | Virtual
Three Meeting Professionals International (MPI) chapters have partnered together to offer their memberships something bigger and better. Bringing together three unique meeting communities will give event participants the chance to expand network circles while strengthening existing ones.
Tourism Vancouver is an initiative partner. Michelle Taylor will be attending on behalf of Tourism Vancouver
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