Tourism Action Plan

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts is the key driver for expanding the tourism industry through the Tourism Action Plan.

Tourism British Columbia

Planning to visit British Columbia? For accommodation, reservations and travel information in British Columbia, visit HelloBC.com.

Tourism British Columbia, a Crown Corporation established in 1997, is the responsibility of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts and operates under the direction of an industry-led Board of Directors. Tourism BC has the responsibility for marketing the Super Natural British Columbia® brand to the world and is recognized throughout the world as a marketing success story. Tourism BC works cooperatively with industry partners to promote the development and growth of British Columbia's tourism industry and ensure its long-term success.

Tourism Fast Facts

Recent Tourism Development Initiatives

Green Tourism Forums

British Columbia's first Green Tourism Forum (GTF I) was co-hosted in October 2007 by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, the Council of Tourism Associations and the BC Sustainable Tourism Collective. The forum brought together 41 sector and government leaders who began laying the foundation for the establishment of a made-in-BC Green Tourism Strategy for Sustainability. The report detailing proceedings from the meeting, Green Tourism Forum: Charting BC's Sustainable Direction Report, [441 kb] was released on January 7, 2008.

Following GTF I, a joint Sustainable Tourism Working Group (STWG) was established to develop a practical course of action by which to proceed. The STWG developed a Framework and Plan for Action (the Framework) paper (see Green Tourism Forum II Report), which set out the governance for a dedicated joint venture secretariat or action team to focus resources on specific initiatives that will achieve clear goals.

On April 22, 2008 (Earth Day), the second Green Tourism Forum gained valuable insights and feedback from 51 sector and government leaders that will help shape the implementation of the Framework and inform the development of strategic actions to enhance tourism's environmental, economic and social sustainability here in BC. The Green Tourism II Forum: Report [402 kb] was released on June 18, 2008, and when coupled with the presentations below, formed the event's proceedings:

• Presentation 1: The Sustainability Challenge: Implications for Tourism, [1.98 MB] presented by Anna Pollock, President & CEO of Desticorp UK Ltd. and founding member of the Icarus Foundation.
• Presentation 2: Climate Action in British Columbia, [917 kb] presented by Nichola Wade, Executive Director, Carbon Neutral Operations, Climate Action Secretariat, BC Provincial Government.
• Presentation 3: Framework and Action Plan for Moving Forward,[267 kb] presented by Dave Butler, Director of Sustainability, Canadian Mountain Holidays Inc., on behalf of the joint Sustainable Tourism Working Group.

If you have any questions about the reports, please contact Senior Tourism Development Officer, Valerie Sheppard.

Recreational Vehicle Park Development

The Recreational Vehicle Park Development Report [340 kb], released on April 16, 2008, was developed by the Joint Industry/Government Working Group on Recreational Vehicle Park Development. The report identified a number of challenges relating to accommodation for recreational vehicles in the province and makes 15 recommendations to create a more favourable environment for B.C.'s recreational vehicle businesses and visitors. If you have any questions about the Recreational Vehicle Park Development Report, please contact our Tourism Development Officer, Melinda Nagy-Surdu.