The Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association is launching a new program to bring business support and advice directly to Tourism operators in the region.
Many operators have shared that it is a growing challenge to attend business training and events that take them away from their business.
“Our businesses while coming out of some challenging years with fires, flood, and pandemics, are doing better and seeing travel happen but they are continuing to face challenges with staffing shortages, tight resources, they’re not able to get away from their businesses to attend business training and events. Amy Thacker, CEO of the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association said, “So in response to that challenge we are going to pivot some of how we deliver our programs and assign some of our staff to work out in the field to be able to go out to the businesses.”
Thacker said each of these managers will be the local go-to tourism expert to help operators navigate the training and business supports available to them, including challenges like updating emergency plans or accessing government programs.
“The transition will start within the next month so we are looking at doing some training through February for these new destination experience managers and having them be in the field this Spring, as early as March and April,” Thacker said.
The on-the-ground approach may be new for destination development but is not new to how the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association supports operators.
The model is based on the tourism resiliency program that CCCT help pioneer to connect tourism businesses with support programs in the wake of COVID-19.