Challenging year of tourism reviewed at conference

Last week they held kind of a post mortem on the tourist season of 2006, as representatives from different tourism stakeholders in Prince Rupert traveled to Terrace for the annual Northern B. C. Tourism Association’s general meeting.

The Daily News got the debrief from Bruce Wishart of Tourism Prince Rupert about what the participants discussed and their impressions of the season just past and the ones to come in the future.

RUPERT WELL REPRESENTED AT GATHERING
By Patrick Witwicki
The Daily News
Wednesday, November 1, 2006
Pages one and three

The 2006 tourism season on the North Coast was a lesson in survival, and representatives from Tourism Prince Rupert, the Prince Rupert Visitor Centre, the Prince Rupert Port Authority, and several local tourism businesses attended the Northern B. C. Tourism Association general meeting in Terrace last week.

The meeting gave all stakeholders an opportunity to assess what some called the “most difficult year ever” in the North, and to come up with ideas to ensure 2007 experiences recovery and future growth.

“Meeting the stakeholders from across the North is always a strong reminder of the power of partnerships,” said Bruce Wishart, executive director for Tourism Prince Rupert. “The loss of our ferry this spring made this perhaps the most difficult year, but this gathering acted as a reminder that we were able to minimize the loss and lay the framework for full recovery.”

The main goal behind that recovery will be restoring faith in travelers, said Wishart.

“When the ferry sank, we faced a situation where people couldn’t get to the ferry when they needed it,” he said. “So they went elsewhere.

“So restoring the people’s confidence that the ferry will be there when they need it is something we have to do. Sometimes, that can take years… but we need to restore that faith.”

With that reality in place, several representatives from Toursim British Columbia also attended the Terrace meetings, including president and CEO Rod Harris, and Stan Hagen, Minister of Tourism, Sports and the Arts. Mary Mahon-Jones, CEO of Council of Tourism Associations of B. C. also gave a presentation.

“It delivers a strong message that the annual meeting of the northern organization can attract these provincial leaders,” said Wishart. “It is also recognition that the North faced a very challenging year.”

All stakeholders have also come to realize that everyone in the Northwest needs to work together in attaining that full recovery, and one of the key moments occurred when two new northwestern representatives from Haida Gwaii joined the board.

Andrew Merilees, economic development officer of Old Massett, and Natalie Fournier of Gwaii Haanas National Park were the new faces.

“One of the surprises of the summer was that the Charlottes weren’t affected as much as anticipated,” said Wishart. “So having these people come on board is a sign that the Charlottes are becoming pro active in the industry.

“Two years ago, you wouldn’t have seen that.”

That’s just another example that everyone is on the same page,” he said.

“The Northwest region has a tendency to be just Rupert, or Terrace, or Smithers,” said Wishart. “But we need the real recovery everywhere.”