"There needs to be a closer relationship between parks, tourism and communities."

Send your question!

TRIP Partners

• Vancouver Island University
• Thompson Rivers University
• College of the Rockies
• University of Northern British Columbia
• College of New Caledonia
• Tourism BC
• The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts
• BC Parks
• LinkBC Network
• Canadian Rural Secretariat

Funding

• This project received funding support from the Government of Canada.

Are all communities well suited to tourism?

Answer:

All communities receive some sort of visitation from outsiders. There are also many types of tourism ranging from "on route" stopover or transit destinations where people stop for gas and groceries, to those that are full fledge destinations where people stop and stay for multiple nights. With this range in mind, yes, all communities can benefit financially from tourism.

However, most communities that are seeking to diversify with tourism are seeking ways to attract and keep visitors for multiple days. In order to become a destination that visitors are aware of and plan to visit, not all communities have the same capacity to diversify with tourism.

Those best suited to diversify with tourism will have many of the following:

1. unique natural, cultural or historical assets that can attract visitors;
2. access points for travellers such as highways, regional airports, or harbours;
3. at least one tourism champion who plays a leadership role to move ideas forward;
4. support of local decision makers who understand the nature of tourism development;
5. key services required of visitors such as accommodations and food services;
6. supportive climate for small businesses;
7. a willingness to have private, public and not for profit sector stakeholders collaborate;
8. a committment to the process and patience to experience success;
9. access to funds for product development and ongoing investment to put the destination on the map through marketing efforts; and
10. buy-in from residents

This list includes some of the key ingredients shown to influence overall success in rural tourism development. There are "tourism readiness" assessments that communities can use to discuss overall fit for tourism.

Our business is doing something quite innovative. How can we get our practice profiled in an innovation snapshot?

Answer:

We are always looking to profile innovators who are willing to share their practices with others. The innovation bank that we build is helpful to give operators in other areas ideas that they can modify and use to enhance success.  These are also used by students throughout BC education institutions to learn more about the realities of working in tourism in rural locations.

If you want to have something profiled, contact the project coordinator to discuss your ideas further.  We may then have one of our students work with you to learn more about your practice, develop a snapshot and then post it on our website.

How is tourism development in rural areas different from in urban areas?

Answer:

This is a very good question, and one that needs to be better understood by many as there are unique differences between them. In our 2007 Observation Report of Rural Tourism in Central BC, here are a few of our comments on the topic.

• Tourism assets are more resource based so a lot more government agencies that have to be involved. This increased the red tape for operators and community leaders and creates a high need for relationships with various levels of government involvement (parks, forestry, fisheries, tourism, highways, and heritage).
• Government agencies are located in urban areas requiring additional travel,expense and frustration for people in rural areas. People in government are prone to change which results in a constant need for relationship building at the community/operator level.
• The socio economic climate or reality is not reflected in policies and programs thereby creating systemic disadvantages for people in rural areas, particularly those in unincorporated communities (matching money, allowable uses, administration, awareness, deadlines, ROI requirements, grant writing expertise)
• There is a lack of investment dollars in small communities therefore they have an inability to match funding
• A small population base impacts the number of volunteers, staff, the existence of leadership available and funding available (when based on per capita) The isolation and remote nature of rural living increases costs to operate and to travel/network
• There is a lack of basic infrastructure - communications (high speed internet, cell phone service) that severely limits operators to become "market ready", or visitors to feel connected to home while traveling.
• Many rural areas have a decreasing population and shifting structure (seniors moving in and youth moving out). This reality creates a shortage of community leaders and available labour pool.
• Communities have less proximity to potential visitor markets so unique strategies to build awareness and draw visitors are required (friction of time and distance).
• Regional marketing organizations have to cover vast regions of unique product clusters, and rely largely on small to mid sized operators with limited marketing budgets and a product base that is not yet established. This limits "buy in" on cooperative marketing ventures.
• There is limited awareness of the assets of rural BC communities and their potential for tourism in the mindset of urban markets. There is limited emphasis on marketing BC experiences to other British Columbians.
• There are few entrepreneurs involved in tourism and many are small family run operations that supplement with other employment options. This leaves scarce time and resources to be involved in collaborative efforts. Many have limited access to resources and information for the type of tourism that they engage in.
• There is a dominance of lifestyle entrepreneurs (people working in tourism for the lifestyle it affords) who are not all seeking to expand their business.
• Ensuring access for visitors to connect with products is challenging (highways, signage, sites, trails)
• Overall products (visitor experience) are less developed and not "market ready"
• There is often a lack of understanding and experience with tourism at the community level, which inhibits development potential.
• Products are often nature based and require access to land. There is often a lack of control and input over land resources that are required for sustainable tourism development thereby impeding development.
• External expertise, when sought, usually has an urban lens and inadequate understanding of the complexities and realities of tourism in a rural context
• Investment hungry communities usually do not have tourism embedded into community or regional development plans and lack experience negotiating with developers.
• Smaller communities have tight social capital which often excludes newcomers and impedes individuals or communities from collaborating with others.
• Most rural communities lack funding for basic marketing or operation of visitor information centers (i.e. no room tax)
• In many areas, there is a lack of understanding of the value of tourism and the role that local government could take to diversify through tourism. This impedes the efforts of local catalysts and can create political tension.

"Some communities are part of the Community Tourism Foundations® Program - what is this program and how is TRIP involved?"

Answer:

The Community Tourism Foundations program is a Tourism British Columbia program, which aims to support BC communities' tourism development efforts in different ways.

The Community Tourism Foundations program has two components, a Development program and a Marketing program.

The Community Tourism Foundations Development program is designed for communities interested in assistance with tourism destination planning. This program provides a range of tools, proven resources and customized destination development assistance. Taking a step-by-step approach, this program can accommodate the needs of communities who are at different stages of the development process. The activities in this phase may include developing long-term strategies by participating in tourism research projects, conducting SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analyses, or examining community tourism organizational structures. Approximately 60 communities from all over the province are involved in this program, which include communities like Clearwater, Kimberley, Nootka Sound, Hope, Bella Coola and Mackenzie.

The Community Tourism Foundations Marketing program is for the communities that have developed a multi-year, research-based tourism plan through the Community Tourism Foundations Development program and want to implement marketing initiatives. Communities must have funding they wish to direct towards cooperative marketing activities administered by their RDMO (Regional Destination Marketing Organization).

For more information regarding the Community Tourism Foundations Development and Marketing programs, such as how your community can apply, newsletters, etc., you can visit Tourism BC's site at http://www.tourismbc.com/communitydevelopment or by contacting Monique Brunel at CommunityTourismFoundations@tourismbc.com (604-660-3763).

TRIP and Tourism BC identify opportunities to work together for the benefit of the community when involved in both Community Tourism Foundations and TRIP.

A lot of communities are engaged in a branding process.  What is branding and how will it help us with our tourism goals?

Answer:

You are right, there are many communities that are using branding as a way to build momentum, partnerships and community vision.  In short, branding is a process where a community works collaboratively to determine the image that they want to create and the experience they want to provide, to visitors. A brand exists in the mind of a person, but it holds a lot of power in forming decisions.  Through the branding process, a community or region assesses how they are currently perceived and how their competitors are perceived. They then take control by branding an image in the mindset of potential visitors.  The image in tourism, is of the experience or "brand promise" that the destination will provide to visitors when they make the decision to travel there.  In order to pull off this promise, multiple stakeholders have to work together at the destination level. This is because the overall travel experience is actually a collection of interactions with service providers from the time they make a decision to travel to the time they get home. If one or more stakeholders break the promise, a visitor can have a poor experience which shatters the image they had of a destination.

The branding process can be long, complicated and expensive.  It is important to find someone to work with that has experience branding destinations and will spend time getting to know your community's essence and support you through the process.  The results however can help move communities forward and take control over their future. The process, if well facilitated with lots of buy in from different stakeholders can build collaboration, local pride and vision.  It can help pull together visual images on signage and print materials which help visitors to navigate and form first impressions of place.

There are numerous good resources on branding available to communities - many from the Total Destination Management website (see http://www.destinationbranding.com/ ) may help answer more in depth questions.

I see that TRIP is helping some communities to undertake a signage audit - what is this and how can it help enhance our signage?

Answer:

Signage throughout rural BC is one of the most common issues communities face when trying to engage in tourism development.  After three years of doing extended field work in each area of the province, it never ceases to amaze our team at how far we have to go to help our visitors not only find our great products, but do it safely, professionally and in a way that actually enhances rather than detracts from their overall experience.  We have been lost in remote corners of the province with excellent maps, 7 sets of good eyes and attentive drivers - and we have been confused beyond belief in communities with outdated and confusing signage.

To assist with this issue, the TRIP team has developed a community signage manual which can be downloaded under the how to manuals or report section of this site.  It took us eight months to pull together materials to help communities understand the role of signage, different types etc.  Now we have had communities ask us to come and help them assess the effectiveness of their signage using an audit.

In the audits we visit your community and document impressions of signage. We try to navigate to your core attractions and services and document the role signage plays in that experience.  With cameras and maps, we plot out where signage is working and not working and we make recommendations on how you could improve signage.

Too many communities take an ad hoc approach to signage and because residents don't use signs to get around their own communities, many underestimate how poor their signage really is. I say it often - we spend thousands on marketing our products to the world but we are not yet connecting visitors to our products because of poor signage.  It has to be viewed as a part of the overall marketing experience for destinations, businesses and individuals sites.

How can neighbouring communities join marketing forces when there is tension?

Answer:

People in rural communities can often have strong ties to their communities. This is an asset, but when competition gets in the way of collaboration it can be detrimental. Rural communities need to get along, maximize their power and network with local organizations, other communities, and urban centres to promote success for all stakeholders involved. The benefits of marketing with other communities or organizations can often decrease overall costs, reduce duplication, enhance impact, and increase opportunities for repeat visitors. Joining marketing forces creates a more significant cluster of attractions and services than one community alone could market. Communities and operators can connect with one another and form comprehensive marketing plans including:

• § Joint promotional activities
• § Circle routes or regional themes
• § Shared signage initiatives
• § Shared events
• § Promoting complementary packages or cross-selling
• § Handing out brochures from other communities
• § Sharing a positive word-of-mouth about other communities

To do so means that communities need to break down barriers and look at the benefits of building partnerships. Addressing what the real issue is will help communities build partnerships.

• What caused the tension? Old rivalry, power issues, leadership styles, or a competitive edge to be first?
• Be willing to move forward first.
• Discuss the history of the relationship, both positive and negative. Use this time as an opportunity to learn from those experiences and move on.
• Include all stakeholders.
• Focus on discovering common interests between all parties.
• Be open to working together better and differently than before.
• Set some goals on how to work together.

Putting aside tension and building partnerships with other communities to build an effective marketing plan means everyone wins. The visitor will see and hear positive things about neighbouring communities from you, the host. This will make the visitor want to stay longer rather than be turned away by hearing negativity.

Resources:

Human, M.S. (1999). Promoting community change: making it happen in the real world. Toronto: Brooks/Cole Pub.

Flora, C, Flora, F, Spears, J, & Swanson, L. (1993). Rural communities: legacy and change. Boulder: Westview Press.

Tourism Centre: University of Minnesota Extension, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (2008). Website http://www.tourism.umn.edu/education/ctd/qa/g.html

Why is collaboration so important to tourism success?

Answer:

Tourism is a collection of experiences that is delivered by many stakeholders in a community and region. The success in the delivery of those experiences is highly dependent on the collaboration of all those involved. Collaboration means a chance for communities to move forward and make tourism work for them to diversity the gains, rather than making solitary gains. Tourism vision and goals will be more manageable to meet when all stakeholders are involved and work together. This type of collaboration is important because it creates buy-in and has better results. When collaboration occurs and all members are part of the process then the desired outcomes will be accepted, rather than rejected. Tourism related decisions in the community will be better achieved as a direct result. Collaboration is the key step towards tourism success, not competition.

Resource:

Marien, C. & Pizam, A. (1997). Implementing sustainable tourism development through citizen participation in the planning process, 164-178. In Wahab, S. & Pigram, J. (Eds.), Tourism development and growth. New York: Routledge.

How can off highway communities attract and pull in visitors?

Answer:

There are many ways for communities to attract tourists. The most important way is that the community membership has to believe the community is attractive! Strange as it sounds, but many residents do not see how the assets in their own community or region could be attractive to visitors. Sometimes assets in the community or region have not been looked at objectively from a visitor's perspective. Create an inventory and identify assets that would have potential for tourism.  

Alternate routes can be inviting and mysterious to the visitor, especially to the visitor who wants to experience something different. A route that is from point A to B with multiple stops is often attractive to these types of tourists. Visitors are looking for a spot off the "beaten path", scenery, or a specific destination. Knowing the assets along the route will create a niche to target those markets. When visitors know that there are several attractions and experiences the more willing a visitor will be to go on the alternative route. Focus on creating a theme and having several points of interests, along with emphasizing the scenery. Find stories about the area and create several stops of interest that will draw the visitor deep into the region.

Signage needs to be strategically placed, visible, and clear in directing the tourists where to go and what to see. Work with neighbouring communities near the major highway to promote opportunities for multiple stops. It is important to build a common theme amongst all stakeholders and communities while maintaining one's uniqueness. Otherwise, a disjointed destination image could turn visitors away. Build on the common goal of attracting visitors off the main highway and developing the entire route.

Resource:

Tourism Centre: University of Minnesota Extension, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (2008). Website http://www.tourism.umn.edu/education/ctd/qa/g.html

Our community does not have enough volunteers to run our annual special event, what can we do?

Answer:

The lack of human resources has infiltrated not only the work force, but volunteer organizations. The volunteer groups in small communities are vital to tourism development and success. Events help create destinations. To resolve the issue of lack of volunteers organizers can:

• 1. Join forces with other communities to build a stronger network of volunteers.
• 2. Ask other organizations to share volunteers and in turn, volunteer at other community events.
• 3. Ask for what you need to create awareness.
• 4. Ask businesses and their staff members for assistance.
• 5. Ask students.

It is important to understand volunteer management and how to effectively manage volunteers. Volunteers help for many reasons and when these motives are understood then attracting and keeping volunteers is easier. Volunteers want to feel needed and have exciting, fun tasks balanced with less motivating ones. Match volunteer interests to the needs of the event will keep volunteers longer. Provide clear expectations to alleviate any problems. Ensure that celebration is part of the process.

Sometimes it needs to be considered that it is time to end the event, as difficult as this may be. Occasionally an event has outlived its life and may not be as fruitful as it could be. However, adding a new "face" and being creative with a few changes to an event could attract visitors and more volunteers.

Resource:

Australia Sports Commission. (2000). Volunteer management: a guide to good practice. Canberra: Robey Pty Ltd.

How can visitor statistics aid in the development of tourism marketing?

Answer:

Rural communities often do not have access to reliable visitor information. Provincial statistics and gut instincts are usually relied upon to make tourism related decisions. Relevant and up-to-date visitor statistics collected at the local level will assist in tourism marketing.

Visitor statistics and information can:

• Help determine if a community is market ready
• Assist with overall tourism planning
• Assess supply and demand
• Develop a marketing and promotional plan
• Helps to determine timing and placement of marketing plan
• Determine possible factors affecting visitor spending
• Understand current target markets
• Find out what the visitor wants to do, where they stay, purpose of the visit
• Determine how one type of visitor can differ from another
• Increase understanding of visitor cycles; comparative analysis
• Increase understanding of trends and emerging markets
• Allocation of marketing dollars
• Making decisions about product development
• Discover the competitive positioning
• Opportunity to see trends and emerging markets

Having a more comprehensive picture of the visitor means developing a marketing and promotional plan that is more specific to the target markets fitting to the business or community.

What type of visitor information should be collected in a community or through a business?

Answer:

Part of this depends on the purpose of the information and what is will be used for. The information helps guide the overall tourism planning and development and all aspects of the process. Once the purpose is identified the following areas of visitor information can be collected:

• Origin of visitor: Where is the visitor coming from? Domestic or international?
• Purpose of visit: Is it business, business and pleasure, pleasure, or visiting friends and relatives?
• Accommodations: Where is the visitor staying overnight?
• Length of stay and length of journey: How long is the visitor staying in the community? How long is the entire trip or holiday? Where else do they visit on route?
• Repeat visitation: Have they been here before? How many times? Do they want to come back again?
• Participation in activities: What did they do while they were here? What do they want to do or intend to do for the rest of their stay?
• Use of information sources: How did they hear about the community, business, or event?
• Expenditures: How much is being spent and on what?
• Demographics: Male or female, age, income level, education level.
• Method of travel: How did the visitor arrive to the community?
• Visitor composition: How many people are in the group? How many are children?
• Satisfaction with visit: Is there anything that was exceptional or needs improvement?

Resource:

Understanding your Visitor: A How to Manual. TRIP website (resources, how to manuals)

Our community has a small budget so how can we best collect and utilize visitor information?

Answer:

The basis of collecting relevant and up-to-date visitor information is to help guide tourism planning and development, know what to improve upon, and make effective decisions. When not enough information is collected gaps occur and there is an incomplete picture of the visitor, visitor trends, emerging markets, and opportunities for product development.

At minimum when collecting visitor information focus on:

• Visitor spending
• Accommodations
• Purpose of visit
• What activities they participated in
• What they liked about the visit
• How many days they stayed
• How many people in their group

Ways to collect the visitor information is making notes about what you notice the visitor doing, asking the visitor about their visitor, using visitor comment cards, and collecting some basic information at key points in a community or at an event with a survey. To be successful in collection the information all stakeholders need to be involved. Making sense of the information and sharing it is important so all stakeholders have access. The information gathered can be used for decisions about product development, distributing staff and financial resources, developing marketing plans to reach the right target market, and business initiatives.

Resource:

Understanding your Visitor: A How to Manual on collecting and using research in tourism development.

How can our community enhance the experience visitors have in our area?

Answer:

Increasing visitor satisfaction translates to increased positive exposure, potential of repeat visits, potential longer stays, and positive word-of-mouth marketing. There are several ways to enhance a visitor's experience that do not cost money. The first step is that everyone in the community needs to consider he or she is a host and a representative of the community, business, or event. Even for people not directly involved in tourism, every resident has the potential to leave a positive impression with visitors. Rural hospitality is often one of the key attributes that reflects rural communities. Asking visitors where they are from and how they found out about the community is a way to make them feel welcome.

Staff working or volunteering in a visitor centre, business, organization, or community can participate in any number of the eight diverse workshops offered through Tourism BC. There are local delivery organization coordinators in several areas across BC who can set-up the workshops. Some communities in BC have strived for most of the residents to have some training in Superhost. This training increases the understanding of the visitor, interacting with visitors with disabilities, different ethnic backgrounds, and dealing effectively with difficult behaviours. The local Chamber of Commerce, Visitor Centre, or Regional Destination Marketing Organization could provide more information.

Recommending other businesses or attractions to visit in the region is important. This cross-promotion adds to the overall revenue stream in the region, increases positive word-of-mouth advertising, creates business networks and supports, increases opportunities for repeat visits, and increases visitor satisfaction.

Resources:

Kerr, P. & Nickerson, N. (2004). Snapshots: An introduction to tourism. Toronto: Prentice Hall. Tourism BC (2007). Superhost Customer Service Workshops: Website: http://www.tourismbc.com/superhost.asp?id=1222

Which market should we focus on when developing tourism?

Answer:

For a rural community to consider a regional or international market other than the local market is a difficult task. A community needs to determine which market is relevant to them. First determine what products there are and who is suitable for those. Find out who wants those products, where the markets are, and how to reach them. Reflect upon what the community can support to deliver good tourism experiences and services. When visitor information is collected and there is knowledge about current markets then an accurate picture of target markets can be determined. Often targeting more to existing markets creates a return.

Domestic markets, whether within 100 Miles, BC, or Canada are markets that should emphasized. Issues and trends such as increased gas prices and striving to support more local initiatives can make visitors take more local trips. Soon the movement of buying local foods within 100 Miles may be holidays within 100 Miles. Some articles like this have already been written in "green" initiative magazines. Local markets often participate in day-trips and this is another market to tap into when working regionally with other communities and businesses. Often day-trips turn into weekends, and so forth which increases nights spent in communities.

If a nearby community does have international markets establish a network to see what your community can offer in conjunction. Keep in mind not to go from small to big overnight because a community needs to be both market and tourism ready.

Resources:

Kinsley, M. Rocky Mountain Institute's Economic Renewal Program: An Introduction http://www.rmi.org/images/PDFs/Communities/ER97-02_EconRenewIntro.pdf

Tourism Centre: University of Minnesota Extension, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (2008). Website http://www.tourism.umn.edu/education/ctd/qa/g.html

How can an entrepreneur attract more visitors?

Answer:

Attracting more business means an effective marketing plan. Some basic questions need to be addressed first. These questions are usually derived from the business plan and focus on the five "W's". Who do we want to be, what target market do we want to serve or can serve, where do we want to be in the near future, when will we know when we reached our goals, why do we want to do this, and how are we going to do it?  This preliminary work and research are part of laying a foundation that gives a strong foothold to move forward.

Conducting an assessment of the business and its environment, including other businesses, gives a healthy picture of the overall operations. This SWOT analysis includes reviewing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of a business. Included in this assessment is networking and partnerships. No one business can serve the needs of the visitor. Building business-to-business partnerships ensures visitors have more needs met through the entire trip. This type of partnership often includes cooperative marketing. Just like cooperative marketing through Regional Destination Marketing Organizations, businesses can co-market together to cut down costs and increase business together.

Setting goals and objectives that are obtainable will ensure both follow through and success. Determining a marketing strategy will help a business have both return and new customers. Part of the marketing strategy is to know the product or service intimately and what the competitor has in comparison. This way, gaps in product or service delivery can be filled. Ensure the pricing not only meets the business owner's needs, but the customer's. Having an effective promotional plan and implementing it in strategic places is an essential step in attracting customers. This step involves knowing the target market; that is, where the best place is to attract the market. The Regional Destination Marketing Organizations have conducted some of the research already. Remembering that big and fancy marketing is not always necessary, but strong, consistent, and reflective promotion of the business is.

Resources:

Hudson, S. (2005). Marketing for tourism and hospitality: A Canada perspective. Toronto: Nelson/Thomson Canada.

Tuckwell, K. Integrated marketing communications: strategic planning perspectives. Toronto: Pearson Education.

Tourism Centre: University of Minnesota Extension, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (2008). Website http://www.tourism.umn.edu/education/ctd/qa/g.html  

There are so few businesses in the community, how can we attract more entrepreneurs?

Answer:

The answer to this question may not be what is expected. The answer is to "plug the leaks". Plugging the leaks means supporting local businesses first. Money that is spent locally means money is circulated locally and businesses continue to flourish. Sometimes plugging the leaks can be producing commodities locally so local businesses are not importing everything and visitors are not buying elsewhere. Some communities have been very creative in this aspect. For example, some rural communities bottle local spring water, sell local beef jerky, and promote many other local commodities that are either for immediate consumption or longer term such as furniture. When local resources are used efficiently and local commodities (often necessary ones) are produced locally at reasonable prices then rural communities become more self-sustainable and can withstand economic fluctuations.

Supporting local businesses means that local owners can become more efficient, successful, and further develop. Sometimes small businesses need extra support, often with management and financing. There are several government programs to support small businesses.  Some of these BC programs are listed below. Another way to support local businesses is to create a business education and mentoring program between existing owners. A local retired business owner who could share some tips from previous experience is a good resource.  Supporting existing local businesses will help the economies in rural communities be successful, keep people in the community, and attract visitors.

When a rural community shows support to existing businesses then new entrepreneurs will be attracted.  A community that is focusing on building a sustainable economic environment, has active local businesses, and displays a good quality of life will attract new business owners.

 

Potential Sources for Entrepreneurship Support:

Small Business BC

Phone 604-775-5525

Toll Free 1-800-667-2272

Fax 604-775-5520

Email askus@smallbusinessbc.ca

http://www.smallbusinessbc.ca/

This link is connected to the Small Business BC website and shows many sources for small business support including a focus for youth, women, First Nations, 2010 Olympics, and much more.

http://www.smallbusinessbc.ca/websites-list.php

Tourism BC Starting a Tourism Business: Frequently Asked Questions http://www.tourismbc.com/pdf/Starting_A_Tourism_Business.pdf

Resources:

Kinsley, M. Rocky Mountain Institute's Economic Renewal Program: An Introduction http://www.rmi.org/images/PDFs/Communities/ER97-02_EconRenewIntro.pdf

How does a community know where to best spend their marketing dollars?

Answer:

Part of this answer depends on the goals and objectives of a marketing plan. First have a solid knowledge of what is available in the community to know what to market. Developing this strategy means having a complete inventory of what is available for services, facilities, and experiences for the target markets and determining benefits of those services to the visitor. Incorporate cross-selling aspects with other stakeholders that sometimes make a package, as well as the value added items that make the community especially attractive and noteworthy. Having a good grasp of the target markets will steer where marketing dollars should go.

An important aspect in determining where to allocate marketing dollars is to look objectively at what is currently being done. Make a detailed assessment of where the dollars are currently being spent. Have these channels worked in the past?  What is working or not working to attract the target markets? Should a magazine advertisement still being continued when the target market is very small? Some of this can be determined by finding out how visitors know about the attractions and services in the community in the first place. Creating awareness with the visitor is essential in attracting the target markets. Often this is done through word-of-mouth between current and potential visitors. When visitors leave a community satisfied they share this information with others and increase the overall chances of repeat visits. This process is the most inexpensive type of marketing. Tracking the success of the marketing plan will help to determine if something needs to be changed.

Find out different ways to promote and the costs associated. The timing and cycle of implementing any marketing plan is vital so marketing dollars are not spent unnecessarily. Calculating how much to spend on marketing based on an estimation of the types of visitors or target markets in the community will also help guide how to allocate marketing funds. From this point, a bigger picture can be seen for the return on the dollar. The estimation should be based on past visitor numbers that have been collected. Reviewing other communities of similar size and assessing those marketing campaigns may give a clearer picture of what is being spent. However, those target markets may be different, as well as services and facilities so those factors need to be taken into consideration. Reviewing and monitoring the marketing plan and budget is part of good practice to ensure dollars are spent wisely.

  

Resources:

Tourism Centre: University of Minnesota Extension, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (2008). Website http://www.tourism.umn.edu/education/ctd/qa/g.html 

Tuckwell, K. Integrated marketing communications: strategic planning perspectives. Toronto: Pearson Education.

What is Front Counter Service and what can it do for our community or organization?

Answer:

Tourism growth and development is dependent on natural resources. Some natural resource issues related to tourism include land management, multi-trail use development, angling, crown land tenure use, and commercial or adventure recreation, among others. FrontCounter BC is a one-stop service to help guide clients through all regulated natural resources issues. The staff at FrontCounter BC are directly linked to BC's natural resource ministries and agencies. Centres are located in Kamloops, Nanaimo, Surrey, Prince George, William Lake, Cranbrook, Smithers, Victoria, and Fort St. John.

 

FrontCounter BC staff aim to simply the overall process for natural resources clients, small to medium sized businesses, to start or expand business in the following ways:

• Help guide the process through authorizations for licences, permits, and registrations
• Assistance with completing applications
• Interpret land information, maps, and management plans
• Track application status
• Interact between ministries, agencies, and governments
• Begin referral processes with First Nations
• Help identify and market economic development opportunities

 

Resource:

  Front Counter BC Telephone 1-877-555-3222 or website http://www.frontcounterbc.gov.bc.ca/  

How does tourism get addressed at the provincial level?

Answer:

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts (MTCA) is a branch of the provincial government with the overall premise to encourage tourism and tourism development in BC. According to the MTCA website, the Ministry helps co-ordinate the tourism-related efforts of individuals, small and medium-sized businesses, large corporations, local and provincial public sector organizations, volunteer agencies, and all levels of government throughout the province. Several components that are part of these goals include providing information services to tourists, reflecting tourism interests in land resource use and management decisions, and encouraging the development of the motion picture industry in BC. MTCA also encourages tourism facility and services improvements, supports increased professionalism in tourism industry related workers, and collects and shares information about tourism activity in BC.

 

MTCA is responsible for developing policies, plans, and programs that reflect the overall premise of the Ministry. One of the keys plans of MTCA is the BC Tourism Plan and this plan outlines strategic areas in marketing and promotion, development and investment, accessibility and infrastructure, and tourism workforce.  The success of the plan and any MTCA goals is dependent on working with key partners and associations in tourism, sports and recreation, and arts and culture sectors in BC. Private, not-for-profit organizations, communities, and regional service delivery centres all assist in the outcomes of the Tourism Plan and overall MTCA goals.  An example of one of these partners is Tourism British Columbia. Tourism BC is headed by a board of directors and is a crown corporation that MOTSA oversees. This branch of MTCA focuses on marketing with the assistance of six destination marketing organizations that are established in BC.

 

Resources:

 

Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Arts Website http://www.gov.bc.ca/tsa/

Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Arts Contact List and Related Links found at Website: http://www.bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/2008/sp/tsa/default.html#7

Tourism Action Plan of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Arts http://www.tsa.gov.bc.ca/tourism/action_plan.htm

I know of one community who had a group of students help with a tourism initiative. How can we access students through a college or university?

Answer:

In BC there are several post secondary institutions which hosts various programs that have distance and on-line learning. The resources below provides links to all of them. Tourism and Recreation Management students, along with students from other areas of study are eager to learn and share knowledge. Many student projects are hands-on and students are encouraged to seek communities or organizations that have identified a need. Sometimes professors already know of communities and organizations that have needs and these groups are identified in the classroom. Together, the student and community/organization develop a plan to meet the needs for student learning and the community project. Students receive feedback from both the community or organization and the professor so professional outcomes result. Usually there is no cost attached to this, but student costs are covered such as photocopying, extraordinary gas mileage, or other relevant fees.  This win-win relationship is ideal and sets up both the students and communities or organizations to link theory to practice.

The best source is to contact the Department Secretary or head person of the particular program that is closest to you. Every post-secondary institution calls a tourism and recreation program something different, so it depends on your needs which program is better for you to link to. The following table identifies the institution and the tourism, recreation, and hospitality programs in British Columbia. For post secondary institutions that are not related to tourism the following website for BC Ministry of Advanced Education lists all post secondary institutes in BC. http://www.aved.gov.bc.ca/institutions/welcome.htm

 

Post Secondary Institution	Tourism, Recreation, or Hospitality Program
British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) 3700 Willingdon Ave, Burnaby, BC V5G 3H2 604-434-1610 Web: http://www.bcit.ca/	Marketing Management Diploma in Tourism
Camosun College 3100 Foul Bay Road, Victoria, BC V8P 5J2 250-370-3550 or 1-877-554-7555 Web: info@camosun.bc.ca Email: info@camosun.bc.ca	Tourism Certificate Certificate in Travel Counselling Business Administration Diploma-Tourism Management Golf Management Diploma
Capilano University North Vancouver Campus 2055 Purcell Way, N. Vancouver, BC V7J 3H5 604-986-1911   Sunshine Coast Campus 5627 Inlet Avenue, Sechelt, BC V0N 3A0 604-885-9310   Squamish Campus 1150 Carson Place, Squamish, BC V0N 3G0 604-892-5322 Web: http://www.capcollege.bc.ca/	Aboriginal Tourism Operations Certificate Certificate in Advanced Tourism Studies Tourism Event Management Certificate Wilderness Leadership Certificate Advanced Wilderness Leadership Certificate Mountain Bike Operations Certificate Destination Resort Management Diploma Outdoor Recreation Management Diploma Tourism Management Co-op Program Tourism Management for International Students Bachelor of Tourism Management
College of New Caledonia 3330 22nd Ave, Prince George, BC V2N 1P8 250-562-2131 or 1-800-370-8111 Web: http://www.cnc.bc.ca/ Additional Campuses in: Quesnel, Lakes District, MacKenzie, Nechako, and Valemount.	Northern Recreation and Ecotourism Certificate Tourism and Administration Certificate
College of the Rockies Cranbrook Campus 2700 College Way, Cranbrook, BC V1C 5L7 250-489-8243 or 1-877-489-2687 Web: http://www.cotr.bc.ca/ Additional Campuses in: Creston, Fernie, Golden, Invermere, Kimberley.	Mountain Adventure Skills Training River Rafting Guide Training and Certification Certificate in Adventure Tourism Business Operations Event Management Certificate First Nations Tourism Certificate International Expedition Leadership Certificate Adventure Tourism Business Operations Diploma Tourism Management Diploma
Vancouver Island University 900 Fifth Street, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5S5 250-753-3245 Web: http;//www.viu.ca	Event Management Certificate Tourism Studies Diploma Recreation and Sport Diploma Bachelor of Tourism Management The Tourism Research Innovation Project BC Regional Innovation Chair in Tourism and Sustainable Rural Development Recreation and Tourism Research Institute
Native Education College 285 E. 5th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5T 1H2 Web : http://www.necvancouver.org/	First Host Certificate Workshop Aboriginal Interpreter Credential Program Aboriginal Ecotourism Field School Aboriginal Tourism Operations Certificate Aboriginal Tourism Management Diploma
North Island College Campbell River Campus 1685 South Dogwood Street Campbell River, BC V9W 8C1 1-800-715-0914 Web: http://www.nic.bc.ca/ Additional Campuses and Centres in: Bella Coola, Comox Valley, Cortes Island, Gold River, Port Alberni, Port Hardy, and Uclulet.	Entry Level Technical Skills Certificates Travel Counselling Coastal Adventure Tourism Certificate Adventure Tourism Diploma Tourism and Hospitality Management Diploma
Northern Lights College Atlin Campus 2nd Street Atlin BC, V0W 1A0 250-782-5251 or 1-866-463-6652 Web: http://www.nlc.bc.ca/ Additional Campuses in: Chetwynd, Dawson Creek, Dease Lake, Fort Nelson, Fort St. John, Hudson's Hope, Tumbler Ridge.	Northern Adventure Tourism Certificate
Northwest Community College 5331 McConnell Ave, Terrace, BC V8G 4X2 1-877-277-2288 Web: http://www.nwcc.bc.ca/ Additional Campuses in: Hazelton, Houston, Kitimat, Masset, Nass Valley, Prince Rupert, Queen Charlotte City, Smithers and Stewart.	Tourism Programs (being planned)
Okanagan College Kelowna Campus 1000 KLO Road, Kelowna, BC V1Y 4X8 Web: http://www.okanagan.bc.ca/ Additional Campuses in: Salmon Arm, Vernon, and Penticton.	Hospitality and Tourism Options
Royal Roads University 2005 Sooke Road, Victoria, BC V9B 5Y2 250-391-2528 or 1-778-6227 Web: http://www.royalroads.ca/	Bachelor of Arts and Masters in International Hotel Mgt Graduate Certificate in Tourism Leadership Graduate Certificate in Destination Development Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Tourism
Selkirk College 820 Tenth Street, Nelson, BC, V1L 3C7 1-888-953-1133 Web: http://www.selkirk.ca/ Additional Campuses in: Castlegar, Grand Forks, Kaslo and Trail.	Golf Club Management and Operations Resort and Hotel Management Ski Resort and Operations Management
Simon Fraser University Centre of Tourism Policy and Research 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6 604-291-3074 Web: http://www.sfu.ca/ Email: peterw@sfu.ca
Thompson Rivers University 900 McGill Road, Kamloops, BC V2C 5N3 250-828-5000 Web: www.tru.ca/tourism.html Additional Campuses in: Burnaby and Williams Lake.	Aboriginal Tourism Certificate Event Management Online Certificate Adventure Guide Diploma Events and Conventions Mgt Diploma Resort and Hotel Mgt Diploma Sport Event Mgt Diploma Tourism Management Diploma Bachelor of Tourism Management
University of Northern BC 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9 250-960-6306 Web: http://www.unbc.ca/	Bachelor of Arts in Nature Based Tourism Management
Yukon College 500 College Drive, Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 5K4 1-800-661-0504 Web: www.yukoncollege.yk.ca	Tourism Studies and Management Certificate Tourism Studies and Management Diploma

 

Resources:

This website links to all tourism and recreation related programs.

LINK BC. (2008). Website http://linkbc.ca/main/

This website is a comprehensive tool for tourism instructors and students, business operators, community leaders and BC First Nations.

Tourism On-line Resource Centre. (2008). Website http://linkbc.ca/main/

What can the Regional Destination Marketing Organization do for our small community?

Answer:

Lots! Check out the website for your regional destination marketing organization (DMO). There are six DMOs in BC that receive funding from Tourism BC. The mandate of the DMOs is to support stakeholders and promote each region of BC. Cooperative marketing campaigns is a major component of DMO's. This component is where businesses or communities contribute funds to a marketing campaign of choice and participate in regional marketing. Being featured on the DMO website can be part of the service for communities and stakeholders.

DMO's support stakeholders by:

• Sharing information through local research studies, trends in the industry, and general information. Some components require a small fee.
• Offering workshops focused on media relations, international markets, linking technology and promotion, amongst other topics and educational workshops.
• Attending consumer shows that provide opportunity for staff of DMO's to link with potential visitors and share regional information.
• Hosting media familiarization tours to showcase the region and demonstrate what makes up the region to travel writers, authors, editors, producers, and publishers. The feature stories and clips that are produced are then linked to target markets.
• Respond to visitor and local visitor centre requests for regional brochures and promotional material.

Get to know the staff of your regional DMO as this relationship is invaluable to your success in tourism.  

How can a community find out about available grants to support tourism development?

Answer:

There are numerous grants available to communities and it can be overwhelming when first searching. Two areas to launch a search are in the following ways:

1. A way to find out about current BC community grants and related information is to subscribe by e-mail through the TRIP website. The TRIP coordinator, Nicole Vaugeois, sends out regular updates. To be included you can directly contact Nicole or go to http://www.trip-project.ca/ and sign up for the "News Updates".

Nicole L. Vaugeois, PhD

Project Coordinator

Department of Recreation and Tourism Management

Malaspina University-College

900 Fifth Street

Nanaimo, BC V9R 5S5

Phone: (250) 753-3245 Local 2772

Email: vaugeois@mala.ca

 

2. The Canadian Rural Secretariat http://www.agr.gc.ca/policy/rural/about_e.html is a federal program that provides support directly to rural communities through numerous initiatives. BC regional advisor, Brandon Hughes, is a support system with the focus of learning about the information needs of residents from rural and remote regions. Through the Canadian Rural Partnership a list of community development programs has been compiled and most are aimed at rural communities. There are federal, provincial, municipal, and non-governmental programs listed at the following link: http://www.communityfutures.com/cms/Funding_Sources.2.0.html

In addition, Brandon sends out an e-mail to about 1,000 people usually once a week
listing any new programs and initiatives that support community development. To be added to the e-mail list send Brandon an e-mail and ask to be added to the group e-mail for community grants and initiatives in BC. His contact information is:

Brandon Hughes, Regional Advisor
6230 Redfish Road
Nelson, British Columbia V1L 5P6
Tel.: 250-354-3178
Fax: 250-229-4459
E-Mail: hughes.bn@shaw.ca

What is a community forest and how can it support tourism development?

Answer:

Community forestry is not new to British Columbia and has been in existence since 1945 in various capacities.  Community forestry is unique to each community and region given the local ecosystems, community values, and management priorities. The British Columbia Community Forest Association (BCCFA) identifies three key aspects involved in the development of community forestry: social, ecological, and economic sustainability. The foundation of community forestry, according to the BCCFA is "local forests, local people, local decisions".

The Community Forest Agreement (CFA) was introduced in 1998 as a new form of legal forest tenure for crown land management in BC. Since that time, the number of communities with CFA's has grown to 20, and a further 30 or more licences are pending. CFA's are held by First Nations and municipalities, as well as by community-based co-ops, societies, and corporations.

The BCCFA has just over 40 members and operates with a board of directors. The organization operates with the following purposes:

• Work to ensure the viability of community forest initiatives in First Nation's and other rural communities
• Provide education on community forestry issues
• Assist community forest practitioners in accessing resources required to succeed
• Promote community forest management as a strategy for community economic development

According to the BCCFA some of the benefits of community forestry include:

• Support local livelihoods
• Promote community participation
• Foster environmental stewardship
• Encourage communication and strengthen relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities and persons
• Promote innovation
• Promote conflict resolution
• Increase economic diversification
• Opportunities for local training and skills-development

A key benefit of community forestry is economic diversification. This means that the community decides where the income from the forestry resources is distributed. The community of Likely has created a partnership with a First Nations group for community forestry. The Likely Xats'ull Community Forest Society provides local jobs.  Residents have identified that financial resources be put towards tourism and recreation. As a result, many local tourism initiatives have been created.

 

Resources:

For more information about community forestry please contact the British Columbia Community Forest Association Website: http://www.bccfa.ca/about.php