The British Columbia Tourism Resiliency Network (BCTRN) is a long-term business resiliency program created in response to COVID-19 that provides meaningful, one-on-one support to BC's tourism businesses as they navigate the impacts of the pandemic, adapt and recover.
BCTRN is led by the British Columbia Regional Tourism Secretariat (BCRTS), a collaboration between BC's regional destination management organizations (Tourism Vancouver Island, Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, Kootenay Rockies Tourism Association, Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association, Northern BC Tourism Association). The program is designed and delivered by the tourism industry for the tourism industry, utilizing the sector's specialized understanding of its own needs.
Based on requests from small businesses for help to understand government announcements and aid programs, BCTRN not only provided immediate assistance to operators, but its differentiating factor is the personalized support each business continues to receive through their entire journey to recovery.
There is no cost to tourism businesses to register in BCTRN and all services provided within the program are complimentary. BCTRN includes two key components:
1. Client Care: Tourism businesses are paired with a Program Advisor who facilitates a custom support plan and is committed to ongoing, personalized follow-up for the duration of their recovery.
2. Digital Resource Hub (www.tourismresiliency.ca): Hosts a series of regular webinars, hands-on workshops, case studies, research and additional resources tailored to the needs of tourism businesses.
The British Columbia Tourism Resiliency Network (BCTRN) set a goal from the start that if it could help even one BC tourism business, the program will have fulfilled its intention. It has since helped hundreds. 2,033 to be exact, including 158 Indigenous-owned, 440 women-owned and six youth-owned businesses in communities spanning the province.
Research (www.tourismresiliency.ca/reports) shared weekly with approximately 8,000 tourism stakeholders across BC via the BCTRN digital hub provides timely information on the pandemic's impact on business revenues, staffing, operating capacity, closures and solvency, which informs the types of supports required to support the recovery and development of the visitor economy in BC's diverse tourism regions.
Over 46,690 points of contact with BC tourism businesses have taken place with an average of 22 interactions per business. 1,333 BCTRN participants have successfully secured aid from government relief programs. An estimated 3,694 jobs have been preserved or maintained.
In order to appreciate the real value of this program, however, one needs to also look beyond the numbers. BC's tourism businesses have continued to report BCTRN was there when they needed it most. In many cases, operators just needed an ear to listen or a shoulder to cry on, and the dedicated BCTRN Program Advisors were on the front-line, having difficult conversations with business owners, and providing key emotional support.
It is the innovation and resilience shown by BC's tourism businesses themselves that showcase the true success of this program. Stories of Resiliency (www.tourismresiliency.ca/stories-of-resilience) from BC tourism operators provide a variety of firsthand accounts and testimonials from across the province about their successful experience within the program.
The British Columbia Tourism Resiliency Network (BCTRN) has provided a vehicle for BCRTS to work together like never before with a common goal of supporting the survival of BC's tourism businesses. The tourism resiliency program has allowed BCRTS to develop infrastructure that can be repurposed into managing other crises, but also future partnerships and opportunities to support communities dependent on the visitor economy across BC.
Not only has BCTRN strengthened the profile and purpose of BCRTS through a leadership role amplified positively through shared research and strong communications, but BCRTS has created a new level of awareness with the provincial government as to the importance of the tourism industry to BC's economy.
BCTRN identified over a dozen gaps in provincial and federal aid programs and communicated the real-time needs of tourism businesses to government. In many cases, programs were modified to address these needs, such as the Small and Medium Sized Business Recovery Grant program whose criteria and deadline were adapted so more tourism businesses could attain support.
By working with partners such as the Tourism Industry Association of BC, BC Hotel Association, go2HR, Destination BC and Indigenous Tourism BC to achieve the above, BCTRN is able to ensure support is available across BC to as many tourism businesses and Indigenous tourism businesses as possible.
BCRTS is leading destination stewardship and social responsibility for the recovery and long-term resiliency of tourism in their regions. Their proven on-the-ground knowledge, expertise in delivery and relationships with businesses, First Nations, communities and other stakeholders has been invaluable to government and the tourism industry during the pandemic and will be essential to a successful recovery and future economic development.