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• BC’s Destination Brand

Haida Gwaii | Kevin Lanthier

Inspiring Travellers to Discover British Columbia

Building a solid brand is essential to our success as a tourism destination. It is the fundamental building block from which all marketing communications and behaviours should flow. Our brand serves as our competitive identity: it promises a distinct travel experience, and guides expectations of not only what travellers will see and do, but also how they will feel.

For over 35 years, our tourism brand—using the tagline, Super, Natural British Columbia® —has inspired millions of people to visit BC. It continues to be a highly regarded brand, and the envy of many destinations. Our brand puts BC’s true nature at its core, and truly injects deeper meaning and emotional resonance to the tagline, Super, Natural British Columbia, while continuing to build on its long-established equity.

Our brand essence is that we are wild at heart. And, our promise back to those that travel here is that BC’s powerful nature will transform and renew you, bringing out your better self. BC has a unique combination of refined civilization with raw wilderness, sophistication and exhilaration, and of urban areas immersed in natural environments.

We don’t just have nature, we have true wilderness. We are a province shaped by nature, which is vast, diverse, abundant, awe-inspiring, and powerful. It has nurtured our people, our history, our culture…and our visitors.

To learn more about our brand, visit our Learning Centre to access our  brand resources .

And to learn about provincial brand alignment, contact our team .

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The BC Content Hub is a collection of images, b-roll, videos, travel stories, maps, and more, from Destination British Columbia, and tourism organizations around the province. The assets on the BC Content Hub are available to the tourism industry and travel media for use in the promotion of travel in British Columbia.

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Eligible accommodation providers and tourism operators holding tenure and BC Parks permits will now have access to grants to alleviate fixed-cost pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The tourism industry in B.C. continues to be hit hard by the pandemic. From Day 1, our government has worked side by side with industry leaders on recovery initiatives so the industry can come back stronger than ever,” said Melanie Mark, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. “This grant was a call to action by the Tourism Task Force to support these businesses with their bottom line and ensure they can thrive.”

As much as $15 million will be provided through the Tourism Accommodation and Commercial Recreation Relief Fund through three streams: one for B.C.-owned large accommodation providers employing more than 150 people; the second for Indigenous-owned large accommodation properties employing more than 100 people and located on reserve; and the third for tenure and BC Parks permit holders that operate as tourism businesses.

“Accommodators across B.C. have suffered years of devastating losses while struggling to meet the demands of rising fixed costs,” said Ingrid Jarrett, president and CEO, British Columbia Hotel Association. “I want to acknowledge the leadership, hard work and commitment demonstrated by Minister Mark to support B.C.’s accommodation sector and make the Tourism Accommodation and Commercial Recreation Relief Fund a reality. We are grateful that this funding will help alleviate hardship for large accommodation providers and better position our industry for recovery.”

The Tourism Accommodation and Commercial Recreation Relief grants will help offset fixed costs for eligible large accommodation operators with property taxes, hydro fees for Indigenous-owned accommodation or assistance for tourism businesses operating on Crown land and in BC Parks with tenure and park permit fees incurred in 2021.

“Indigenous Tourism BC continues to focus our work on supporting Indigenous tourism businesses to remain in operation during these challenging times,” said Brenda Baptiste, chair, Indigenous Tourism BC. “We value and appreciate the collaboration and partnerships that we hold with industry and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport.”

“On behalf of adventure tourism operators who hold tenures or park-use permits, the relief through the Tourism Accommodation and Commercial Recreation Relief Fund will help those operators who work in the remote backcountry areas of British Columbia,” said Katherine MacRae, executive director, Commercial Bear Viewing Association and co-chair of the Adventure Tourism Coalition. “Tenures and permits are part of our operating costs, and relief for these costs is appreciated as we look to further recovery in 2022 for adventure tourism in super, natural British Columbia.”

Providing financial support for fixed costs was identified by the Tourism Task Force’s final report as a recommendation for those businesses most affected by public-health measures restricting travel and gathering of groups. These supports are intended to help ensure the viability of these businesses through the 2022 winter and spring seasons.

This grant is another measure the Province has provided to the tourism sector and builds on other supports through Budget 2020-21, which include:

• the Small and Medium Size Business Recovery Program, which has supported almost 8,200 tourism businesses with fewer than 149 employees, that received more than $214 million in grant funding;
• $36.8 million, which has been provided to more than 80 major anchor attractions and tour bus operators through the B.C. Major Anchor Attractions Program;
• the Fairs, Festivals and Events Recovery Fund, which has provided nearly $30 million to support local events, supporting 680 fairs, festivals and events in 134 communities throughout B.C.;
• $53 million in community-based tourism infrastructure and destination development, which has been invested to help tourism in B.C. recover, create jobs and spur economic development; and
• $8 million in relief funding through Indigenous Tourism BC, which has been allocated for Indigenous tourism businesses, one of the fastest-growing sectors of the industry.

Quick Facts:

• Eligible large accommodation providers can receive up to 25% of property taxes up to a maximum of $500,000 in stream one;
• In stream two, eligible Indigenous-owned large accommodation providers on reserve can receive 100% of BC Hydro fees, up to maximum of $200,000. Large accommodation providers include hotels, motels, resorts and lodges, including strata hotels.
• Eligible commercial recreation businesses can receive 100% of eligible tenure or park-use permits under stream three, to a maximum of $200,000.
• Tourism businesses with tenures under the Land Act or permits under the Park Act, include businesses such as wildlife viewing, fishing, hunting, mountaineering, horseback riding, off-road vehicle touring, whitewater rafting and heli-skiing; small destination resorts such as guest ranches or ecotourism lodges; campgrounds and outdoor recreation parks that offer activities such as waterslides and ziplines.

Learn More:

Application intake is open from Jan. 14 to Feb. 14, 2022. Eligibility criteria and application information can be found online: www.gov.bc.ca/accommodation-commercial-recreation-fund

• Tourism_Relief_Fund_Chinese(traditional).pdf
• Tourism_Relief_Fund_French.pdf
• Tourism_Relief_Fund_Punjabi.pdf

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Wilson, S., and D. Hamilton. 2005. A Strategy to Manage Backcountry Recreation in Relation to Wildlife and Habitats \(PDF 168KB\)

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Home  >  Development Services  >  Planning  >  Strategic Projects  > Tourist Commercial Zone Update

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Tourist Commercial Zone Update

As part of on-going work related to the preparation of a single Okanagan Valley Electoral Area Zoning Bylaw, the Regional District has been reviewing the various tourist commercial zones found in the South Okanagan Electoral Area zoning bylaws, the intent of these zones and the properties that they apply to.

Where duplication, significant overlap or redundancy of zonings is identified, the Regional District is proposing to delete, consolidate or to replace zone(s).  For instance, there are currently six (6) different Commercial Tourist Zones, as well as a variety of site specific zonings, that apply to approximately 64 different properties.

The Regional District considers that these zones can be reduced to core of three (3) main tourist commercial zones, being: Tourist Commercial (CT1), Campground Commercial (CT2) and Golf Course Commercial (CT3).  It is further being proposed that the commercial zonings for marinas and the Penticton Speedway be transitioned to tourist commercial (i.e. CT) zones as part of this Update.

In support of this review, the Regional District is also proposing to replace the current Campsite Bylaw No. 713, 1982, with an updated Campground Regulations Bylaw No. 2779 that will include:

updated definitions to be consistent with those used by the Regional District in other, more modern bylaws (i.e. zoning, fees and charges, bylaw enforcement, etc.);

updated application requirements and processing procedures consistent with those found in the Development Procedures Bylaw and Manufactured Home Park Regulations Bylaw;

the removal of provisions otherwise contained in the Electoral Area zoning bylaws (i.e. permitted uses, density, site area requirements, setbacks, etc.); and

modernised infrastructure and servicing requirements (i.e. roadways, access and parking, water systems, sewage disposal systems and storm water drainage); and

the removal of requirements that the Regional District does not impose on other providers of tourists accommodation (i.e. requirement to establish rates for each camping space, to record the “vehicle, licence identification, colour, make, type and year” of guests vehicles, etc.).

Public Consultation

Property owners of land currently zoned tourist commercial (i.e. CT1, CT2, CT3, CT4, CT5 & CT6) are being directly notified (as of May 11, 2018) of the proposed changes to their zoning and encouraged, along with any other interested members of the public to provide feedback by June 1, 2018 .

Additional information, including copies of the draft amendment bylaws, a Feedback Form and comparison tables of the proposed zoning changes can be found below along with status updates.

Should a public information meeting be scheduled in relation to these proposed changes; the date, time and location of such a meeting will be posted below.

Amendment Bylaw Status

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