Friday, August 18, 2017

BC Gov't commits $200K for Tourism in Cariboo/Chilcotin Region

Courtesy of the BC Government:

The Province is providing the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association (CCCTA) with financial support of up to $200,000 to help with tourism-related impacts from the B.C. wildfires, announced Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Lisa Beare, while meeting with business owners and tourism operators in the Cariboo region today.

The government and the CCCTA will work closely together to ensure the funding targets the tourism recovery needs identified in the region. The Province is currently assessing the needs of those affected by the wildfires in order to support them in the best way possible in the days and weeks ahead.

Destination BC, the industry-led Crown corporation that markets British Columbia globally as a tourism destination, is developing a provincial wildfire tourism recovery plan that will also support the tourism industry by working in close collaboration with the regional destination marketing organizations. The campaign has helped keep travellers informed on the areas in B.C. that are currently affected by evacuation alerts or orders, while ensuring tourists know that B.C. remains open for business in many parts of the province that are not affected by fires.

Tourism is a major economic driver in B.C., employing 127,000 people within the province, supporting nearly 19,000 tourism-related businesses and contributing $7.4 billion toward the province’s gross domestic product.

BC's Minister of Tourism, Culture and Arts, Lisa Beare said:

“The wildfire season has been devastating to British Columbians throughout the province. The tourism industry within the Cariboo Chilcotin is no exception. Many tourism businesses in the region are losing income and, in some cases, losing property due to the wildfires during the peak revenue-generating summer season. The funding that our government has committed to the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association will support the ongoing recovery of the industry in the region and will hopefully mitigate the economic impacts to the rural communities in this beautiful part of our province.”

View the full press release here

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