Jonny Bierman
Spring has sprung in the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast
Hope you had the chance to use the extra day in February!
Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism has had a three-year contract with Destination BC confirmed. There was no funding boost in the new contract, but are plenty of priorities we will be driving forward in the coming months. Some of Destination BC’s priorities include: supporting the Iconics program and continued efforts in travel trade, travel media, destination development and destination stewardship.
Daylight savings time may be about springing forward — but it is also a reminder to seize the opportunity to move forward with updating your emergency plans. You can get lots of info to help on our emergency management page or by emailing our Emergency Program Coordinator at emergency@landwithoutlimits.com.
As we move into spring keep an eye out for the CCCT team members who are out and about visiting the communities and members.
– Amy
New Destination and Experience Manager
Troë Weston of Williams Lake is joining the CCCT team as our new Destination and Experience Manager.
A former high school teacher in the Lower Mainland and the UK, she brings a wealth of experience in event management and working with stakeholders. She helped expand the education program at the Richmond Olympic Oval and leads national events for Ultimate Canada frisbee.
Welcome aboard Troë!
advisor3@landwithoutlimits.com
Make sure your offers, information are up to date
Everyone at CCCTA is working hard to connect our members with opportunities to promote themselves to the travel trade and media, and to help them to connect with the wider public. We look for trade partners aligned with our region’s priorities, and if they are a match, we help organize familiarization trips to showcase the beauty of the Land Without Limits to tour operators.
For travel package offerings tailored for travel trade professionals in our region and around the world, please send us your latest special offers for FIT/Groups, packages, and experiences, including discounts, value-adds, and promotions. We are keen on full-day and multi-day tours, especially nature, wildlife, adventure, wellness, culinary, arts, and culture experiences. Also, please share winter/spring-themed products and updates on pricing, routing, and international markets for targeted and effective promotion.
When presenting a novel offer, package, or tour, kindly send an email to traveltrade@landwithoutlimits.com, including the following details:
- Title of the offer, product, or experience
- Brief description
- Photo (with permission for public use)
- Booking URL
- Expiry date of the offer (if applicable)
- Willingness to host travel media or previous experience
- Current collaborations with tour operators or OTAs, or interest in future partnerships
- Any preferred target markets for prioritization
If you have a present or upcoming special offer that you’d like to be featured on the Land Without Limits website and promoted by our consumer marketing team, kindly inform us by completing our online form Partners Update Form | Update Your Business Listing (landwithoutlimits.com) or sending an email to admin@landwithoutlimits.com.
Have your say about Great Bear Rainforest plan
The province is inviting the public to share feedback on a proposal to add a new Special Forest Management Area (SFMA) supporting regenerative forestry and conservation in the Great Bear Rainforest. The proposed area consists of 7,865 hectares of forested land that would transition from commercial harvesting to being prioritized for conservation and regenerative forestry.
The engagement page outlines the proposal and the feedback sought.
The provincial government also issued a news release on the engagement process.
Cariboo Chilcotin Coast stories on Travel Beyond
The Travel Beyond crew was busy at 2023 Cariboo Chilcotin Coast tourism summit conducting a trio of interviews with Indigenous Tourism BC’s specialist for the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast region Cheryl Chapman, CCCT board member Mike Retasket, and CCCT CEO Amy Thacker.
Please share with us stories of people in your community who are innovating and leading in sustainability or regenerative practices.
Cheryl Chapman: Cultivating connection: the role of Indigenous tourism in sustainability
Mike Retasket: Truth and visitation: How exposing painful histories through travel can bring healing
Amy Thacker: Fighting “impact fatigue” to lead rural innovations: stories from Cariboo Chilcotin Coast
BC Hotel Association headed to Whistler
Our colleagues at the BC Hotel Association are inviting CCCTA members to make the trek to Whistler and join them at their annual Summit May 1-2.
The action packed two days has plenty of interesting sessions on accommodations, transportation, and human resources to name just a few. You can full details in the full program that was just released.
There’s also a large marketplace with various suppliers to the hotel sector.
Securing Small Business Rebate Program extended
The Province of BC has made a number of changes to the Securing Small Business Rebate Program designed to help offset the costs to repair and prevent vandalism to businesses.
Changes made include:
- Extending the application deadline until 2025 when the program ends for preventative and reparative applications being filed for 2023, as opposed to the prior Feb. 29, 2024 deadline;
- Removing the requirement for the applicant to demonstrate that there is vandalism in the community in order to be eligible or the preventative rebate;
- Requiring applicants to the reparative stream to simply provide the name of their insurance provider and policy number, as opposed to the prior requirement to include an insurance claim; and
- Permitting self-installation of measures so that the rebate will be for eligible equipment only.
The intake form is being revised and should be available by March 18. You can get more information on the program online.
Funding to open for economic diversification
The Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program (REDIP) is slated to open up its next round of funding applications in July. Funds go to support projects that promote the following:
- Economic diversification
- Resilience
- Clean growth opportunities
- Infrastructure development
Even though it’s a few months away, you may want to check out the program details and be ready with an application well before the application window opens in the middle of the busy tourism season.
You can find details and the program guide online.
Outdoor Recreation Fund applications open soon
The Outdoor Recreation Council of BC is planning to open the first applications to the Outdoor Recreation Fund in late March or early April. Supported by $10 million from the provincial government, the fund supports projects that maintain and build infrastructure, protect and restore the outdoors and deliver programs that make outdoor recreation available and safe to everyone.
The fund website has details on eligibility, types of projects, and funding available once the applications open up.
Viewing recruitment through an EDI lens
One of the most common pitfalls when employers start to explore an increased focus in equity, diversity and inclusion as part of their overall recruitment strategy is the expectation that traditional recruitment processes are inherently fair and equitable to all.
Unfortunately, the traditional strategy tends to incorporate individual and structural bias towards socially dominant groups, and the fallback phrase ‘equal opportunity’ sets a low-bar for achievement, and can lead candidate evaluators to devalue diversity and view it as a liability due to the interpretation as a principle of not seeing colour, gender, ability and status.