InnFocus Fall 2021

Courtesy of Destination BC/Dave Silver. The Gitmaxmak’ay Nisga’a Dancers and the
Wii Gisigwilgwelk (Big Northern Lights) Dancers at the Cassiar Cannery in Port Edward
On July 19, Canada’s tourism industry received welcome news from
our federal government that signaled a continued progression towards
recovery: plans and target dates for Canada to begin welcoming
international visitors for leisure travel once again.
While BC’s tourism industry spent its summer welcoming back
Canadian residents from across the country, it’s been well over a year
since we’ve been able to host
guests from other parts of
Visitors from Washington are
only second to BC residents for
spring and fall travel.
the globe. As we begin this
critical step for the recovery
of tourism in Canada and
return to compete on the
global stage, it’s important to
note that our visitors may be
seeking different experiences than before COVID, and may carry with
them a different set of expectations that our industry will need to be
ready to meet, if not surpass.
Like what we’ve seen with our domestic markets—particularly in the
early stages of the return to travel—visitors will be looking for flexibility
when it comes to bookings, cancellations, and refund policies. There
will also be a greater emphasis on health and safety protocols in place
at the businesses they choose to visit. While BC began transitioning
from COVID-19 Safety Plans to Communicable Disease Prevention
in Phase 3 of its Restart Plan, consumers are now hyper-aware
of the importance of hygiene protocol and disease prevention,
and it is expected that they will continue to seek this out for the
foreseeable future.
While there has been a high
uptake of vaccine in Canada, which
has allowed for the resumption of
larger gatherings and events, many
international visitors are expected
to favour large, open spaces and
uncrowded areas as they take their
first leap back into travel abroad. Many
are seeking reconnection with family and friends, choosing to take
trips together and spend overdue quality time with one another
while taking in new sights.
As we prepare to welcome back our long-awaited international
visitors, here are the markets we’ll be focusing on for immediate
marketing, and the signals we’ll be monitoring to determine the right
time for market expansion.
InnFocus 9