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Destination Development

Malahat Skywalk | Milen Kootnikoff

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  • Strategic Approach
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Destination Development is the process of improving the long-term competitiveness of tourism destinations in alignment with community needs. It focuses on enhancing existing experiences, and creating new experiences that elevate and deliver on the unique offerings of destinations across BC in ways that support and deliver on the destination brand promise.

While branding is a critical component of the Invest in Iconics Strategy, we know that the destination brands will only thrive long-term if they are supported by equally compelling, on-the-ground experiences through thoughtful Destination Development activities. While branding work is underway, we are integrating Destination Development work in collaboration with our core partners to ensure we can bring these brands to life on the ground.

Strong place brands are built through engagement with the people who live in BC communities and with the businesses that operate within them to form an in-depth understanding of the intrinsic character of the places in BC. We support these brands through sustainable destination and experience development, including tourism products, experiences, infrastructure, and assets. By combining destination and experience development with branding and marketing strategies, we can enhance, protect, celebrate, and share what makes BC stand out amongst other destination travel choices around the world.

Tourism goes well beyond branding and marketing, and includes considerations such as connectivity, infrastructure, experience design, workforce and skills, industry development, visitor management, and overall management of a destination and its assets—both the supply and demand side of the equation.

It involves working collaboratively with governments, industry partners, Indigenous Peoples, community members, and brand experts to turn a destination’s vision into reality, by being strategically deliberate and responsible in the creation of tourism experiences, products, and services that elevate and deliver on a destination’s unique selling proposition. Strong Destination Development planning enables us to be proactive—anticipating travel and visitation patterns and balancing the needs of BC communities—ensuring that the broad benefits of tourism are retained in the long-term.

Tourism planning and management is a process by which local communities, governmental agencies, and the tourism industry work together to deliver sustainable tourism benefits without compromising the integrity of environment, cultures, and sense of place.  

Explore how Destination BC is working together with various partners by clicking through to each region below.

While Place Branding work is being completed and Destination Development planning moves ahead, Destination BC continues to work with communities across the six tourism regions to build on existing Destination Development strategies that pull together planning, policy, and capacity building efforts. This includes improving transportation and ease of access, having an available and knowledgeable workforce, critical supporting infrastructure, enabling policies, and public and private investment.

Recional Connection Opportunities poll

Cariboo Chilcotin Coast

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Kootenay Rockies

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Northern British Columbia

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Thompson Okanagan

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Vancouver, Coast & Mountains

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Vancouver Island

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An Integrated Approach

The destination brands being developed as part of the Invest in Iconics Strategy will only thrive long-term if they are supported by equally compelling experiences.

Destination Development takes place over many, many years. It brings the destination to life through visitor touchpoints that are consistent with the brand vision, including everything from welcoming gateways and wayfinding signage to new experiences or interpretive centres, visitor services, and much more.

Our Responsibility to Stewardship and Reconciliation

The Invest in Iconics Strategy is a dispersion strategy that is intended to inspire travelers to visit destinations and businesses in BC where they need visitors and when they need visitors. Destination BC understands and accepts our responsibility to ensure that our work throughout the province is done through the lens of stewardship and reconciliation.

There is a strong interconnectedness between Destination Stewardship, Destination Development, and Destination Development within the Invest in Iconics Strategy.

Destination Stewardship
Destination Development
Iconics Destination Development

Destination Stewardship

Destination Development

Iconics Destination Development

Overarching lens on how to thoughtfully develop the economic, social, cultural, and environmental benefits of tourism to enhance the well-being and quality of life for all British Columbians:

  • Indigenous reconciliation and UNDRIP/DRIPA
  • Climate resilience
  • Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility
  • Visitor management
  • Sustainability principles
  • Emergency management
  • Preservation, assets, and environment
  • Resident social license

Strategic planning and advancement of defined areas to support the evolution of desirable destinations for travellers, with a focus on the supply side of tourism:

  • Planning: destination, land use, etc.
  • Infrastructure: hotels, trails, etc.
  • Access and transportation
  • Policy development
  • Investment and funding
  • Community values
  • Business climate
  • Workforce, housing, and childcare
  • Strategic partnerships

Enhancing existing experiences and creating new experiences that elevate and deliver on the uniqueness of each Iconic Place Brand:

  • Signage and wayfinding
  • Rest stops and points of interest
  • Interpretation and storytelling
  • Experience enhancement and development: attractions, activities, encounters, etc.
  • Festivals and events
  • Visitor amenities
  • Industry training/capacity building
  • Visitor Services

Co-creation of a Destination Development Framework and Action Plan for the Iconics

To ensure that the promise of the new destination brands is delivered on the ground, a destination development plan was required. Destination brands and destination development need to work hand-in-hand if the ambition of the Invest in Iconics Strategy is to be realized. Destination BC, Indigenous Tourism BC, the Regional Destination Management Organizations and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport worked together to co-create a plan. All organizations are involved in sustainability and stewardship, destination development, experience planning, and visitor management.

Together, we undertook a collaborative process involving a series of workshops and strategic conversations that focused our attention on different aspects of destination development for the Iconics. We also reviewed case studies of global destinations that have achieved success in developing and implementing visitor dispersion strategies. The workshops provided everyone with an opportunity to contribute their thoughts to the various topics as we shaped the different aspects of this framework together.

The Destination Development Framework for the Iconics outlines how we will all work together, what is included within destination development, the focus of the work and the supportive environment needed for success. We would like to thank all partners generously gave their time in working together to help shape this Destination Development Framework for the Iconics and the resulting Action Plan.

Guiding Themes from Action Plan

Three themes were identified to guide Destination Development work for the Invest in Iconics Strategy:

Place

Place is a key consideration for tourism. Place provides the context for how a traveller experiences a destination or journey and includes the identity of a place - what makes it distinctive, unique, and memorable.

People

People are a big part of tourism. We recognize that community well-being is a key goal of destination development, which needs to have the capacity to result in a quality of place that is appealing for visitors and enhance the quality of life for people living locally.

Story

Story integrates Place Branding and Destination Development. Story builds on cultural narratives drawn from local knowledge of the meaning, appeal, and appreciation of place. It’s not about creating new stories; it’s about amplifying stories that already exist and have existed for thousands of years.

Our Focus for Action

We will focus Destination Development work towards supporting and creating experiences, encounters and touchpoints:

Experiences

Experiences have been defined as opportunities for visitors to engage, participate, interact, learn, and explore in an area to get a local understanding and broader awareness of a destination, often combining different elements (e.g. farmers market tour followed by a culinary class led by a local chef).

Encounters

Encounters are a key component of transformative travel. They facilitate interaction with local people and other visitors, present opportunities to face challenges, provide ways to really experience sense of place, can result in longer-stays, and promote post-travel reflection.

Touchpoints

Touchpoints refer to the physical manifestation of the Destination Brand on the ground such as the signage, interpretive wayfinding, and other navigational tools that help visitors find their way around. Touchpoints provide visual cues for travellers make people feel welcome, safe, and help give them a great experience.

A Supportive Environment

A key aspect of bringing Destination Development to life is the supporting environment needed:

Integration

Integration means we align efforts within the province. Adopting an integrated approach to the design and delivery of destination development activities is needed.

Partnership

Partnership is essential to deliver on destination development actions. By working collaboratively with relevant partners at the right time, we can make a real difference and have a much greater impact than we can on our own.

Investment

Investment from both public and private streams is needed for the responsible growth of tourism, such as to transporting visitors from their point of origin to and around the destination, accommodating them during their trip, and providing entertainment and other facilities.

Examples of Destination Development

New Welcome Map unveiled at Pacific Rim Visitor Centre

Tourism Ucluelet unveiled a new regional Welcome Map at the Pacific Rim Visitor Centre last week. The Welcome Map acknowledges six Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations tribes, municipalities and the National Park who collectively make up the West Coast region.
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Kicking Horse River Dike Improvement Project

In addition to protecting Golden from the risks of river flooding, the Kicking Horse River Dike Improvement Project has transformed the riverfront space between Golden’s downtown and the Kicking Horse River into The River Walk, a place where residents, visitors and businesses come to work, play and connect.
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Welcome House to Support Dispersion of Visitors

A great example of experience development that also provides opportunities for rich encounters and welcoming touchpoints is the development of the Ahaminaquus Welcome House at the main entrance to Nootka Sound.
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Art on Terrace Mountain: "Wolf Pack" by Steve Rogers

The Skeena Salmon Art Fest Society led this project with funding from the Terrace Community Forest, the Terrace Community Foundation, and donors to the Salmon Fest Society.
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Investing in Great Northern Circle Route Signage Touchpoints

BC’s six tourism regions received a total of $13.6 million investment to create employment opportunities, attract new businesses and spur economic diversification within communities.
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