British Columbia Tourism Resiliency Network Wins BC Tourism & Hospitality Award
Federal Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault and Board & staff representatives of the BC Tourism Resiliency Network including Sydney Redpath, Regional Tourism Resiliency Program Lead, CCCTA; Mike Retasket, Board Member, CCCTA; James Douglas, Board Member, CCCTA; Photo credit: VisionPhoto.ca
The British Columbia Tourism Resiliency Network (BCTRN) has been recognized with a 2022 BC Tourism & Hospitality Award in the category of Community Contribution & Impact.
The British Columbia Regional Tourism Secretariat is a partnership between five of B.C.’s not-for-profit Regional Destination Management Organizations (RDMO), including: Tourism Vancouver Island, Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA), Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association (CCCTA), Kootenay Rockies Tourism Association (KRTA), and Northern British Columbia Tourism Association (NBCTA).
The 2022 BC Tourism & Hospitality Awards recognize and celebrate excellence, leadership, and innovation within British Columbia’s tourism and hospitality industry, showcasing the province’s most exceptional leaders and positive change-makers. See the full list of nominees.
Evolving from a program initiated by Tourism Vancouver Island shortly after the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, the British Columbia Tourism Resiliency Network is a long-term resiliency program led by the British Columbia Regional Tourism Secretariat (BCRTS), providing B.C. tourism businesses with meaningful, one-on-one support to navigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, adapt, and work towards eventual recovery.
The British Columbia Tourism Resiliency Network has helped 2,033 tourism businesses to date, including 158 Indigenous-owned, 440 women-owned, and six youth-owned businesses in communities spanning the province. 1,333 participants have successfully secured aid from government relief programs and an estimated 3,694 jobs have been preserved.
“The Tourism Resiliency Program plays a critical role in the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast—it is making sure our tourism operators continue to weather the storm of the pandemic and are ready to do even more as we welcome back the travelling public to the land without limits,” said Andre Kuerbis, Chair of the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association board. “The work already done by the many operators who took part in the Tourism Resiliency Program is making sure all of us accomplish our shared goal of a vibrant and sustainable tourism sector that continuously helps build our communities.”
The British Columbia Regional Tourism Secretariat gratefully acknowledges funding for the British Columbia Tourism Resiliency Network from Island Coastal Economic Trust and Western Economic Diversification Canada, and support from numerous additional partners.
The 2022 BC Tourism & Hospitality Awards were announced and presented at an awards gala on Thursday, March 10, 2022, as part of the 2022 BC Tourism & Hospitality Conference hosted by the Tourism Industry Association of BC and British Columbia Hotel Association.
CCCTA board member Marshall Fremlin also accepted the Sustainability award category on behalf of Siwash Lake Wilderness Resort. The award recognizes organizations that champion responsible and sustainable practices into their operation and keep sustainability at the forefront of their operations. The resort has practiced green tourism for more than two decades and is always striving to be true stewards of the land.
View the full press release here.