Tourism needs more government support, and government needs more input from tourism operators. Those sentiments rose to the top of discussions at the annual Northern BC Tourism Association conference, held in Prince George this year.
"We need to change the words that we use," said Andrew Little from the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training during a panel discussion on how the provincial government views its role in tourism. He advised that the private sector reboot its conversation into government, and the government would likely respond to that leadership. "We all need to start framing the terminology in terms of the 'traveller economy' and the 'visitor economy,'" to drive home the point that this is a money-generating venture. He agreed with the audience's impression that the responsibilities of the tourism industry was being spread thinly across a number of ministries instead of having a dedicated ministry of its own. "What we are doing on the business side of things should be more," he said.
Anthony Everett of the Northern BC Tourism Association addressed the issue of scattered image within the tourism sector. He urged the grassroots stakeholders, the private tourism and hospitality operators, to arm his agency and the provincial government with their stories.
"I need your voice, because frankly I don't have the funding," to do mass marketing, Everett said. "The funding we get is shockingly small, and we are trying to market for 60 per cent of the province. We will help you, but we need more dollars." That case can only make sense to government if there is evidence of need pumped in by the private operators themselves.
Former Prince George mayor Dan Rogers was on the panel and agreed that governments of all levels need to hear the needs of the tourism industry expressed in financial terms.
"While there are champions [of tourism within government], the message is often more about feel-good than about business development," he said.
Some of the best among the North's tourism operators were honoured for their efforts at the conference. The annual industry awards were held and the winners were:
Tourism Educator: Wayne Sawchuk, in recognition of his work promoting the 6.4 million hectare Muskwa-Kechika Management Area. Award organizers called him "a long-time environmentalist and visionary," as well as "an accomplished writer, photographer, documentarian and Fellow of The Explorers Club."
Tourism Innovator: Oscar's Source for Adventure/Oscar's Adventure Travel of Smithers. "What was once a sporting goods store has been developed into three networked businesses: a sporting goods store, a specialized fishing store, and a new tourism-booking agency," said organizers.
Tourism Protector: The Caledonia Ramblers Trust. Organizers cited them "for their work in the Ancient Forest to conserve the special and unique attributes of the ancient Western Red Cedar forest east of Prince George." This included trail building, maintenance, signage, and the new Universal Boardwalk underway for the mobility restricted.
Walter Smith Visionary Award: Marl Brown of Fort Nelson Heritage Museum. "Brown has worked tirelessly to preserve local history," said event officials. "He pursued his dream of creating Fort Nelson Heritage Museum, both in collecting the artifacts that he saw leaving the community, and in fundraising for the museum." Today he is the curator of the popular attraction on the Alaska Highway.
