The Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Resiliency Program has received funding to support tourism businesses.
Amy Thacker, CEO, Cariboo Chilcotin Coast, says Western Economic Diversification Canada would be funding the British Columbia Tourism Resiliency Network, which they are a partner of, and are relieved to see investment into a program that will provide much-needed support to the businesses in our tourism and hospitality industry.
They’ll be receiving two hundred thousand dollars to give these businesses one on one support to adapt and work towards eventual recovery.
Thacker explained some of the ways the Tourism Resiliency Program will help.
“It will provide a direct one on one client care to our businesses. Businesses in need get assigned a program advisor that can help them navigate applications and available programs, provincially and federally, that their business may be eligible for. To provide training and resources to them as business owners or their staff and what they need on the front for skills development, and to refer them to experts that they may require to make decisions on HR legal or to adapt their business with technology or finance. There’s a growing pool of expertise that we’re building as we see those individual needs of our operators”.
Thacker added, “the funding of the Tourism Resiliency Program will ensure the specialists, the experts and advisors, that businesses would normally pay for on their own and don’t have the cash flow to actually pay for at the moment, but have the greatest need we have seen in a long time, are accessible to them with the key of ensuring that every business in the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast can have access to the best information to make the best decisions and choices for them”.
The Tourism Resiliency Program is up and running and the past 8 weeks, Thacker said they’ve been training teams, bringing in experts, and testing systems so any business can reach out by the CCCT 1-800-663-5885 hotline, by emailing [email protected] or by visiting the Tourism Resiliency Program website and signing up for the program and they will hear back from somebody within 48 business hours.
Thacker encourages business to reach out and says this really is about us collectively coming up with the best outcome and empowering people to be in control of the choices that are most important for their business, their family, and our communities in the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast.