New Tourism Strategy to Enhance Marketing, Resort Development and Community Involvement

September 24, 2004

A sweeping new tourism strategy has been announced to enhance marketing, resort development and community involvement in maximizing tourism assets, including doubling marketing funding for Tourism BC and providing $25 million for the Union of B.C. Municipalities.

“We are doubling the annual marketing budget for Tourism BC from $25 million to $50 million, to help promote B.C. as the best place on earth to live, work and play,” - Premier Gordon Campbell

“We’re also providing the UBCM with a one-time grant of $25 million this year, to create its own five-year marketing plan to enhance tourism in B.C. communities. This will be local governments’ money to administer and allocate, to invest and leverage for tourism infrastructure and marketing, and to make the most of all B.C. has to offer.”

As part of the new strategy, Premier Campbell outlined the province’s new Picture BC, announced in this year’s Speech from the Throne. Picture BC will provide a library of resources, including British Columbians’ images, words and artwork, that will be showcased in printed publications and available to tourism partners for use in international marketing campaigns, promotions and investment missions. The Province will work with the UBCM, Tourism BC and Legacies Now, to make these tools available to communities to bring visitors and investors to their doorstep.

The Premier also announced the BC Liberal government will build on its Spirit of 2010 marketing campaign from this past summer, working in partnership with Tourism BC. It will launch a new campaign to increase winter tourism this year, and in the coming weeks will expand its existing tourism travel routes with nine new circle tours that will draw visitors around the province.

The new initiatives will complement the work of the B.C. Resorts Task Force, and the over $1.2 billion in anticipated new private sector investment and expansion of existing resorts over the next five years. There are currently more than 700 resorts across B.C., providing jobs for 26,000 British Columbians. The BC Liberal government has set a goal of doubling tourism revenue by 2015.

“Tourism remains one of our strongest strategic building blocks, and a huge strategic advantage for every region of the province,” Campbell said. “B.C. has the world’s most spectacular places, diverse cultures, amenities and landscapes and amazing resorts. We want to work with the tourism industry to ensure we provide funding in the most effective way possible to double tourism revenues, and to make sure communities across B.C. can achieve their full tourism potential.”
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