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Vancouver, Coast & Mountains
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Fishing along Dyke Road in Richmond (Tourism Richmond).
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Chad visited the Sunshine Coast in his first month as general manager of VCM.
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New General Manager for the VCM Region
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Chad Wetsch joined the Vancouver, Coast & Mountains team as general manager in April and it’s been a busy first month of onboarding. Initial thoughts? He’s impressed with the work that’s happening across the region, especially as it relates to sustainability, accessibility and destination development. Moving forward, Chad will be focusing on seasonal dispersion, digital adoption, and supporting the growth of Indigenous tourism.
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In his first month, Chad had the opportunity to meet Annie Wise and Paul Kamon from Sunshine Coast Tourism (and was happy to learn they exist outside of a Zoom screen)! He attended the Sunshine Coast Recreation Forum and was introduced to the challenges facing some key recreation areas. Having grown up on the Coast, Chad is keenly aware of the opportunities and the issues surrounding outdoor activities in this area.
Before joining the VCM team, Chad spent the last 27 years working with Harbour Air Seaplanes. Through his career, he has built an exceptional set of skills including long-term strategic planning, leading agile teams, and generating and applying creative ideas. He has led multiple departments, is respected for his ability to recognize the strengths of each team member and has a large network in the region.
Chad can be reached at [email protected].
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Jonathan Heerema and Josie Heisig (VCM), Craig Nichols (Tourism Abbotsford), Laura Plant, Barb Roberts (Tourism Abbotsford).
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Community Profile: Abbotsford
The VCM team took a little road trip to the Fraser Valley last week to meet with Tourism Abbotsford and explore the community. The timing couldn’t have been better—it turns out there are a lot of good reasons to visit right now.
Put these stops on your radar:
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Old Yale Brewing recently opened a new, 200-seat location in downtown Abbotsford and the place is hopping. The gin fizz sour was the crowd pleaser.
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Banter Ice Cream in Jubilee Park is also worth a downtown detour. Pro tip: order an ice cream flight!
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Visit The Reach Gallery Museum—affectionately known as the cultural heart of the Fraser Valley. They have an impressive collection to take in and some interesting new exhibits are coming later this month.
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Cannon Estate Winery is the newest winery to open in Abbotsford. Visit the tasting room, pick up a bottle and bring a picnic to enjoy on their beautiful property. A new lounge will open this summer.
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Take a hike at Sumas Mountain Regional Park. Find some peace along the kilometres of trails—there are many distances to choose from.
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If you’re a mountain biker, keep your eyes open for new signage coming this summer, in partnership with the Fraser Valley Mountain Bike Association.
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Watershed Park in Delta (Tourism Delta/Tyler Garnham).
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$10 Million Grant to Improve Outdoor Recreation
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The Province of BC is providing a one-time grant of $10 million to the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC (ORCBC). That money will support community-based volunteer recreation groups with improving access to outdoor recreation. It’s meant to address long-standing funding gaps and concerns related to volunteer capacity challenges. ORCBC will administer the grant program, disperse the money, seek additional funding opportunities and promote the fund. Policies, guidelines and priorities are being developed, with the first grant application intake expected in spring 2024.
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Syrian Gourmet Bakery in Surrey (Discover Surrey/Chris Wheeler).
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Surrey Named one of “The Next Great Food Cities”
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Food & Wine magazine has featured Surrey as one of the 12 best emerging cities for food lovers to visit in the world—the only Canadian destination to make the list. The rich food culture and hyperlocal regional cuisine made Surrey stand out from other places in the world. With the prestigious accolade came additional media attention, including this CBC story that highlighted notable people from Surrey’s food scene.
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Damage at Coquihalla Canyon Park (BC Parks).
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Continued Impacts from Atmospheric River at BC Parks
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It’s been 18 months since multiple atmospheric river events caused significant flooding in the Fraser Valley, and the effects are still being felt. BC Parks recently provided a progress update, including a park-by-park summary. Among the takeaways: Coquihalla Canyon Park (Othello Tunnels) will remain closed in 2023.
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Illahee's docu-style videos explain how wildlife, nature and people are connected (Destination BC/Reuben Krabbe).
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Illahee: Our Lands and Our Place Within Them
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Last month, Destination BC and Indigenous Tourism BC (ITBC) launched Illahee, an Indigenous-focused consumer marketing campaign. The campaign features docu-style videos from the co-created Illahee series that uplift Indigenous voices and share the connection that Indigenous people have with the land and wildlife in BC.
Illahee is the latest evolution of the long-standing partnership between Destination BC and ITBC, which have collaborated closely to take a holistic approach on this consumer-direct marketing initiative.
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Sunshine Coast Trail (Destination BC/Andrew Strain).
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Sunshine Coast Tourism Signs Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge
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Sunshine Coast Tourism recently signed the Sustainable Tourism 2030 pledge, joining a global movement of tourism destinations creating a sustainable future for the tourism industry. The pledge demonstrates Sunshine Coast Tourism’s dedication to improving sustainability performance between now and 2030 in support of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
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Vancouver's skyline at sunset (Destination Vancouver/Albert Normandin).
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Climate Action Dialogues: May 29 and 30
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Join Metro Vancouver’s Climate Action Dialogues for a conversation on the urgency and economic case for climate action in the region. Climate 2050 is Metro Vancouver’s climate strategy, with goals for a carbon neutral, resilient region by 2050. Hear ideas and have your say at these in-person meetings in Surrey (Monday, May 29) and Vancouver (Tuesday, May 30). The Vancouver session will also be livestreamed. Both sessions will feature the same speakers and program.
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Learn how to share your sustainability story (Destination Vancouver/Nelson Mouellic).
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How to Tell Your Company’s Sustainability Story, Without the Greenwashing
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We’ve all seen greenwashing before—a company shares untrue or misleading information, with the hopes of catching the eye of eco-conscious customers. Did you know the opposite of that is called greenhushing? Find tips on how to share your company’s sustainability story—including remembering the Green and Golden rule—in this new piece from GreenStep Sustainable Tourism.
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Supports and opportunities available to tourism businesses and communities in VCM.
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Sunset at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver (Destination Vancouver/Kindred & Scout).
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May 16 Webinar: Destination BC Programs in VCM
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Join Destination BC on Tuesday, May 16 at 1:00 pm (PDT) to learn about strategies and programs supporting Vancouver, Coast & Mountains industry partners. An overview of Destination BC’s new 2023-25 corporate and marketing strategies will be included and there will be a Q&A session following the presentation.
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Join this webinar to learn how to manage work stress (Unsplash/Emma Simpson).
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May 31 Webinar: Stress Management for You and Your Staff
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With the busy summer season ahead, now is the time to think about how to keep your stress levels—and your team’s—in check. When work pressures increase and stress is not managed properly, it can lead to damaging effects both mentally and physically. Join Vancouver, Coast & Mountains and go2HR on Wednesday, May 31 (10:00 am - 11:00 am) to learn about stress, our body’s response to it, and strategies for better managing it. You’ll leave with evidence-based tools that you and your employees can use to help shift out of fight-or-flight response and achieve that ever-elusive work-life balance.
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