Businesses receive funding to revitalize tourism and enhance visitor experiences across British Columbia

Government of Canada providing support for four businesses in the Lower Mainland to improve the impact, accessibility, and sustainability of tourism in B.C.

VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 14, 2022 /CNW/ - From stunning natural vistas and small town hospitality to vibrant big cities, from cultural events to food and the arts, Canada has a lot to offer visitors. Tourism connects us with one another, brings visitors from around the world, and is an engine for our local economies.

However, COVID-19 had a significant impact on Canadian tourism as travel restrictions reduced visits to attractions across the country. The Government of Canada created the Tourism Relief Fund to support tourism businesses and organizations as they safely welcome visitors back and invest in their future growth.

Today, the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, on behalf of the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada (PacifiCan) announced a total investment of almost $1.2 million through the fund to revitalize tourism and enhance visitor experiences in the Lower Mainland.

• Harbour Air is receiving $99,000 to expand its services by establishing a new terminal in Squamish. This will allow Harbour Air to offer seamless transportation to visitors from Vancouver Airport to Squamish. It will also contribute to local economic development and job creation as Harbour Air collaborates with local businesses to package its flights with other tourism offerings in the region.
  
  
• Yervana Services Inc. is receiving $500,000 to develop digital tools to advance adventure tourism in British Columbia. These tools will enable local guides and small tourism operators to capture bookings via their mobile responsive web-based platform. Yervana's platform will allow them to compete both domestically and internationally by directly connecting operators with adventure-seeking visitors across the world.
  
  
• go2HR is receiving $495,500 to create a comprehensive labour recovery framework to address labour shortages in the B.C. tourism sector. This project aims to recruit and retain talent in B.C. by promoting the tourism sector as a career of choice.
  
  
• Finally, Uniglobe Specialty Travel Ltd. is receiving $99,999 to acquire a bus and staff to develop new tours for visitors to B.C., with a focus on local tourist and Indigenous attractions.

The Government of Canada continues to deliver on its plan for a robust economic recovery, including supporting tourism businesses as they resume their activities safely. In British Columbia, the Tourism Relief Fund is being delivered by PacifiCan, the Government of Canada's new regional development agency dedicated to strengthening British Columbia's economy.

"The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring the tourism industry has the resources needed to succeed as we build back even stronger. These projects are expanding opportunities for tourists visiting our beautiful province, and ensuring a vibrant tourism sector for the future. By delivering the Tourism Relief Fund, PacifiCan is helping tourist operators across British Columbia to deliver experiences that make Canada a top destination for visitors from around the world."

- The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada (PacifiCan)

"The Canadian tourism sector continues to be one of the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We will work with businesses and organizations through these challenging times, ensuring they get support to innovate in their products and services as well as to grow and thrive, all while keeping safety as the top priority. The Tourism Relief Fund helps businesses adapt to welcome back guests safely. It also feeds into a broader strategy to help the sector recover from the pandemic and build an economy that works for everyone. The Canadian economy will not fully recover until our tourism sector recovers."     

- The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance

"British Columbia's tourism and hospitality industry matters to every community in every corner of our province. Pre-pandemic, we employed about one of every eight British Columbians but right now we have more jobs than workers. Through collaboration with industry partners, this investment takes our labour recovery from idea to implementation. We are grateful to PacifiCan for supporting our commitment to the labour recovery of the hardest hit industry and helping us rebound to a stronger, more resilient and more sustainable future."

- Krista Bax, CEO, go2HR

"Yervana exists to bring outdoor adventures led by small, local tourism operators online and easy for people to find, book, and pay for those adventures. We know that with proper support and resources, the ability of adventure tourism operators to share unique outdoor experiences in their own backyards will be a key element in tourism recovery. Yervana is grateful for the support the TRF has provided to help us digitize the sector and support tourism recovery in Canada."

- Jim McGovern, CEO, Yervana

"Our inbound tour division, Discover Canada Tours, specializes in creating authentic Western Canadian travel experiences for tourists. We are very grateful to receive the Tourism Relief Fund from PacifiCan. This will provide us with the resources needed to develop new sustainable tourism experiences to attract more domestic and international visitors and support indigenous owned and other local businesses in every community that we visit on our tours."

- Doug Revell, Owner, UNIGLOBE Specialty Travel Ltd. DBA Discover Canada Tours

• PacifiCan is the Government of Canada's regional economic development agency dedicated to British Columbia. PacifiCan promotes growth and diversification in British Columbia's economy by enhancing innovation, improving business competitiveness, and promoting inclusive growth.
• The Tourism Relief Fund helps position Canada as a destination of choice as domestic and international travel rebounds by:
• empowering tourism businesses to create new or enhance existing tourism experiences and products to attract more local and domestic visitors
• helping the sector reposition itself to welcome international visitors, by providing the best Canadian tourism experiences we have to offer the world
• Eligible applicants include tourism entities that cater mainly to visitors, such as:
• businesses
• not-for-profit organizations, such as tourism associations
• band councils or other Indigenous organizations and cooperatives.

Associated Links:

• Pacific Economic Development Canada
• Tourism Relief Fund
• Yervana
• go2HR
• Discover Vancouver Tours
• Harbour Air

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SOURCE Pacific Economic Development Canada