Regional Tourism North Okanagan & Shuswap meeting

Regional Tourism Strategy meeting was designed, for the entire Thompson Okanagan region Christina Lake, Ashcroft, Valmont and Revelstoke area. The growing the tourism industry in other countries is our competitors. Building capacity to give a wide variety of choices to visitors to our area is important to be successful. We have had strategies for the Shuswap area to work together to offer many services to visitors and locals alike in a holistic package. In this case one could do a tour from North Shuswap to Vernon and experience many interesting and different things. Food, hikes, crafts and music. The intent is to work together to provide more experiences by offering more area to cover.
Why tourism? it is a part of the key to economic prosperity in BC. Hotels give 13.4% of BC’s revenues in taxes; in the last 10 years those taxes have increased 32.7%. Province & Feds are having a regional tourism strategy; as well as other countries but they are planning over a wider context and not specific to local areas.
Changes are rapid what is happening in tourism and in developing tourism plans where is it going. The impacts are changing; demographics, with emerging global middle class, and lifestyles values. Economically; it has been tough on everyone; or example; owning a home in Vancouver, has 72% of income directed to home living expenses, Toronto it is 47%, exchange rate devaluation, HST and rising fuel prices. Environmentally; increase in crises- Iceland volcano and earthquakes affect tourism.
Politically; we are perceived (Canada/BC) as a safe and secure destination (that is until the Vancouver’s Canucks loss!). How we rank with the rest of the world tourism, there are a lot of disincentives for tourist to come here. The cost of getting here is significant, not seen as a good destination. Reasons to not visit BC are listed as; 78% to expensive, 64% no real reason to go, destinations to far apart 58%, do not know enough about it 57% and of course the best reason 81% say they have better places to go.