BC Government Tourism Task Force: Update on progress and final report

Dec. 10, 2020

Since our appointment in September, the Tourism Task Force has been working diligently to deliver our final report to the B.C. government. And I am pleased to say that yesterday we delivered our final report to the Honourable Melanie Mark, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport—well ahead of our December 31 commitment. The immediacy with which we delivered our recommendations reflects the urgency and anxiety felt by workers and businesses across B.C. about the impact of COVID-19.

I hope you will take time to review the final recommendations, which reflect the need to urgently address immediate needs for support with a longer plan of action to ensure our diverse tourism sector is poised for recovery and growth in the future.

Over the past several weeks, task force members travelled (virtually) across the province to meet with small and large operators, Indigenous peoples, community leaders, labour representatives, sector association leaders, and tourism industry experts. On behalf of the Tourism Task Force, I thank everyone who took the time to provide us with honest and thoughtful feedback during these challenging times.

The B.C. government is now taking the time to consider our findings and review our recommendations. I expect we will have further conversations with the Honourable Melanie Mark, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport in the weeks ahead. I look forward to sharing more information about how we will be working together to support the industry now and in the future.

Sincerely,

Tamara Vrooman, O.B.C. (she/her/hers)
President and CEO, Vancouver International Airport
Chair, Tourism Task Force

Read the final report here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/tourism-immigration/tourism-resources/tourism-task-force