Compelling Reasons to Explore BC

Compelling Reasons to Explore BC

Attracting respectful travellers to specific parts of BC at the right time, and enabling the development of compelling experiences to drive lifetime traveller value.

The Challenge

For decades, the tourism industry has worked hard to attract visitors during shoulder and non-peak seasons, and to entice visitors to travel throughout the entire province. Despite best efforts, the results have been limited: while the industry as a whole has grown, the geographic and seasonal dispersion challenges have not been overcome. This perpetuates challenges for businesses in attracting and retaining year-round staff, and generating enough revenues to put aside emergency funds to manage the unpredictable nature of entrepreneurship.

The seasonality of international visitation to BC remained constant between 1999 and 2019.

The Strategy 

We’ve created a solution that will increase the distribution of tourism revenue year-round, throughout BC, in a responsible, respectful, meaningful and sustainable way. It’s all about BC having a compelling, inclusive brand and set of experiences to attract visitors in a whole new way to generate incremental growth. It’s also at the core of an important step in integrating both destination marketing and management efforts to ensure tourism growth and development are benefiting the quality of life for people living in BC.

This strategy rallies the industry around our strong and shared brand—Super Natural, British Columbia—and provides the opportunity to re-imagine our province through the elevation of inspirational routes and places that will strengthen travel appeal in all regions of BC, in all seasons. In the short-term, we recognize the need to complete the rebuilding of the high season in all areas of our province. Long-term, this strategy balances the capacity needs and market-readiness of our communities—focusing on shoulder-season growth in our cities and mature destinations, while generating all-season growth in high-potential communities and rural destinations where capacity exists.

We do this by delivering the right content at the right time through compelling storytelling, which increases interest and converts that interest to visitation. Destination development efforts will enhance capacity in high potential rural areas and during off seasons in mature destinations. Encouraging development of experiences and events and then delivering exceptional experiences once visitors are in BC is an equally important part of the strategy to increase shoulder season demand, entice repeat visitation to create lifetime value.