B.C. Government Trips Up on Tourism B.C. Decision; Tourism Stumbles

For Immediate Release

OTTAWA, August 24, 2009 – The Tourism Industry Association of Canada is shocked and disappointed by the recent announcement by the Government of British Columbia to dissolve the province’s tourism marketing organization, Tourism British Columbia.

“The B.C. government’s unilateral and sudden decision to dissolve Tourism British Columbia demonstrates a total lack of appreciation for the industry-leading work that this organization has done on the province’s behalf,” said TIAC President and CEO Randy Williams. “Tourism has a profound impact on the economy in B.C., and the dismantling of this award-winning tourism marketing organization will set the industry in the province back by a decade.”

TIAC met with B.C.’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts Kevin Krueger on Friday of last week in Victoria, and expressed to him the industry’s disappointment at the decision. The Minister noted that the decision to pull Tourism B.C. back into government was driven by the need to maximize the potential around the forthcoming Winter Olympics in Vancouver-Whistler.

The Minister indicated that the Government believes that by bringing this marketing function within the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, they can increase efficiencies, especially in relation to the promotion of the forthcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games. TIAC responded to this by noting that government operations within the bureaucracy have not traditionally demonstrated increased efficiencies over the arms-length agency model, and that efficiencies could have been gained within the current model if they were found to be lacking. 

TIAC also emphasized to the Minister the importance it attaches to a public-private partnership between the marketing organization and the tourism industry in a given province to ensure that the message conveyed to potential visitors is effective, resonant and consistent with the needs of the sector.

Tourism British Columbia was one of the original public-private partnerships in tourism marketing in Canada, and its success over the past decade was due in large part to its ability to undertake long-term strategic approaches to selling the province’s diverse tourism offerings while addressing the needs of the private sector players in tourism. Given changes of government and ministerial shuffles that are inevitable, B.C.’s tourism industry will no longer possess a stable, independent marketing entity that is able to demonstrate leadership and a long-term vision for the sector.

Canada’s tourism sector remains solidly committed to the private-public partnership model of destination marketing. As the revised approach to tourism marketing in British Columbia will continue to be supported by a destination marketing fund levy, TIAC and its members in B.C. will remain vigilant in support of a properly-funded, consultative and strategic approach to ongoing tourism marketing in the province.

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About the Tourism Industry Association of Canada:
The Tourism Industry Association of Canada is the voice of Canadian tourism. Founded in 1930 to encourage the development of tourism in Canada, TIAC serves today as the national private-sector advocate for this $74.7 billion industry, promoting positive measures that help the industry grow and prosper.

For more information, please contact:

Kevin Desjardins
Director, Communications
Tourism Industry Association of Canada
Mobile: 613-240-7225