Tourism

The new Malahat Skywalk is expected to be completed by this summer. (Submitted graphic)

Malahat Skywalk expected to be complete by this summer

$15-million project will see 650-metre elevated wooden pathway constructed

 

Perrin Beatty, president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, is shown during a news conference in Ottawa in 2015. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld)

Isolating provinces is a bad idea, says Canadian Chamber of Commerce

National business organization calls for cohesive approach to COVID-19 measures

 

The British Columbia Hotel Association (BCHA) sent out a sharply worded release late last week, in which it noted that the Tourism Industry Association of BC recently obtained a ‘legal opinion’ on the matter (Alex Passini photo)

Hotel associations push back against any potential ban on inter-provincial, non-essential travel restrictions

B.C. Premier John Horgan is seeking legal advice on banning non-essential travel

 

The new Malahat Skywalk is expected to be completed by this summer. (Submitted graphic)

Malahat Skywalk expected to be complete by this summer

$15-million project will see 650-metre elevated wooden pathway constructed

The new Malahat Skywalk is expected to be completed by this summer. (Submitted graphic)
(Northern Vancouver Island Tourism/Steven Fines)

B.C. tourism industry welcomes relief funding, but some businesses still need reprieve

Until travel restrictions lift, the tourism industry will still face continued struggle, industry says

  • Dec 24, 2020
(Northern Vancouver Island Tourism/Steven Fines)
A trail along Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park, southeast of Kelowna. Photo: Tourism BC

OPINION: Hoping for broader support and better days ahead for tourism sector

Now as we turn the page on 2020, there is room for optimism

  • Dec 22, 2020
A trail along Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park, southeast of Kelowna. Photo: Tourism BC
Susie Grynol, president of the Hotel Association of Canada, speaks at a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on April 30, 2018. The tourism industry was generally pleased this week about news that Ottawa would offer relief for the struggling sector, with the exception of Canada’s major airlines, which are still waiting for more targeted aid. “The industry was at a breaking point, and there were some very important measures in the Fall Economic Statement yesterday that will provide a deeper level of support for this industry,” said Susie Grynol, president and CEO of the Hotel Association of Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Tourism industry has mixed reaction to government aid measures

The government’s plan included specific measures for airports, such as rent relief

Susie Grynol, president of the Hotel Association of Canada, speaks at a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on April 30, 2018. The tourism industry was generally pleased this week about news that Ottawa would offer relief for the struggling sector, with the exception of Canada’s major airlines, which are still waiting for more targeted aid. “The industry was at a breaking point, and there were some very important measures in the Fall Economic Statement yesterday that will provide a deeper level of support for this industry,” said Susie Grynol, president and CEO of the Hotel Association of Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Tourists are being asked to postpone their non-essential trips to Tofino as COVID-19 cases rise across Vancouver Island, but at least one accommodation provider is offering conflicting messaging. (Westerly file photo)

Victoria woman says Tofino Airbnb host encouraged travel despite provincial restrictions

“The only way I would get a refund is if she would be able to rebook the suite for that weekend.”

Tourists are being asked to postpone their non-essential trips to Tofino as COVID-19 cases rise across Vancouver Island, but at least one accommodation provider is offering conflicting messaging. (Westerly file photo)
Crew photo with four mega bags and a necklace of abandoned buoys. (Jack Plant photo)

Remote B.C. tourism lodge staffed for coastal clean up instead of wilderness tours

The Great Bear Rainforest is home to exotic wildlife — and international trash

Crew photo with four mega bags and a necklace of abandoned buoys. (Jack Plant photo)
Kennedy Lake is a popular spot for tourists and locals alike, but more resources are needed to make sure those visiting the area are respecting their surroundings. (Westerly file photo)

Tofino-area First Nation considering closing doors to visitors again

Swamped with tourists, scared of COVID-19, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation says more support needed

Kennedy Lake is a popular spot for tourists and locals alike, but more resources are needed to make sure those visiting the area are respecting their surroundings. (Westerly file photo)
Ucluelet residents Dan and Jessica Rutherford were shocked to find the ‘Locks of Love’ fence at Wally Creek along Hwy. 4 covered with disposable face masks, plastic gloves and a hoard of other unwanted litter while driving into town on August 30. Read about it on page 8. (Dan Rutherford photo)

‘Locks of Love’ fence along Pacific Rim Highway overcome with litter

‘Shocking’ display of environmental disrespect at Wally Creek, between Port Alberni and Tofino

Ucluelet residents Dan and Jessica Rutherford were shocked to find the ‘Locks of Love’ fence at Wally Creek along Hwy. 4 covered with disposable face masks, plastic gloves and a hoard of other unwanted litter while driving into town on August 30. Read about it on page 8. (Dan Rutherford photo)
The view of Cox Bay Beach from the Maltby Road entrance, any given day in August. (Nora O’Malley photo)

Disgruntled Tofino residents say visitors turning town into a free-for-all

Some West Coast residents angered by perceived lack of bylaw enforcement

The view of Cox Bay Beach from the Maltby Road entrance, any given day in August. (Nora O’Malley photo)
Mural project in Chemainus has long garnered international attention, but the Festival of Murals Society isn’t interested in trying to stage an international project in 2021. (Photo by Art Carlyle)

Mural founder’s project proposal rejected by Society

Chemainus Festival of Murals deems the time isn’t right for such a massive undertaking

Mural project in Chemainus has long garnered international attention, but the Festival of Murals Society isn’t interested in trying to stage an international project in 2021. (Photo by Art Carlyle)
Carver Ryan Villiers puts finishing touches on the lifelike chainsaw carving of John J. Rambo (played by Sylvester Stallone) before it was installed at Hope’s Memorial Park Aug. 14, 2020. (Emelie Peacock/Hope Standard)

Sylvester Stallone gives shout-out to new Rambo chainsaw carving in Hope, B.C.

Sylvester Stallone, the star behind John J. Rambo, “very proud” of newly installed red cedar work

Carver Ryan Villiers puts finishing touches on the lifelike chainsaw carving of John J. Rambo (played by Sylvester Stallone) before it was installed at Hope’s Memorial Park Aug. 14, 2020. (Emelie Peacock/Hope Standard)
Hesquiaht Harbour. (Hesquiaht First Nation)

Visitors and non-residents entering closed remote B.C. First Nation’s territories

With limited resources, they say they don’t have any authority or power to enforce the closures

  • Aug 6, 2020
Hesquiaht Harbour. (Hesquiaht First Nation)
BC Ferries is projecting major financial losses this fiscal year, due to the drastic reduction in traffic during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the lack of provincial or federal bailout funding. (Black Press Media file photo)

BC Ferries’ COVID-related financial woes compounded by lack of transit bailout funding

Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Claire Trevena insists no fare increases on the way

BC Ferries is projecting major financial losses this fiscal year, due to the drastic reduction in traffic during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the lack of provincial or federal bailout funding. (Black Press Media file photo)
Could you imagine a couple of these guys hanging around Crofton for a while? (Photo submitted)

Dino-mite chance to snag some dinosaurs

Island man in the hunt for a piece of a rare collection at auction

Could you imagine a couple of these guys hanging around Crofton for a while? (Photo submitted)
MLA Adam Olsen. (BC Green Party)

MLA COLUMN: $9B tourism sector not getting the support it needs

Adam Olsen is interim leader for the BC Green Party and MLA for Saanich North and the Islands

  • Jul 18, 2020
MLA Adam Olsen. (BC Green Party)
Visitors Center along Hwy 5 to the town of Valemount, B.C., with the Cariboo Mountain range in background. (Village of Valemount/Wikimedia Commons)

Northern communities welcome tourists as province opens to in-B.C. travellers

Officials have asked British Columbians to be careful as they travel this summer

  • Jul 6, 2020
Visitors Center along Hwy 5 to the town of Valemount, B.C., with the Cariboo Mountain range in background. (Village of Valemount/Wikimedia Commons)
B.C. accommodators need phone lines to light up as in-province travel given green light

B.C. accommodators need phone lines to light up as in-province travel given green light

Travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic have decimated the tourism and hospitality industries

  • Jul 5, 2020
B.C. accommodators need phone lines to light up as in-province travel given green light