The latest news and information for members.
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DESTINATION VANCOUVER NEWS
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Vancouver Hosts Travel Classics West Writers Conference
For the third time in Vancouver, the Travel Classics West Writers Conference brought media titlists from U.S. and Canada together for networking, laughter, and to experience our beautiful West Coast city. Destination Vancouver hosted a dinner last Saturday at UBC Farm, presenting a beloved field-to-fork approach, inviting participants to savour the city within nature. Thank you to our partners at Destination BC, JW Marriott Parq, and conference organizers Maren and Cathy for putting together a magical night presenting Vancouver.
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Membership Review: September Update
Destination Vancouver is currently undergoing a formal review of our member services program and model to ensure we continue to provide value to our members, industry stakeholders and to strengthen Vancouver’s global competitiveness as a destination. In September, we completed all member focus groups to collect feedback on the current services program and model. Focus groups included representation from all 10 member categories. Thank you to all members who participated in the process to date.
Based on the input to date, we will soon develop recommendations on potential changes, which will be reviewed by Destination Vancouver’s Board Governance in October. Implementation of the new membership services program and model is on track to begin in early 2024. We will be sharing another update in October’s eNews.
Thank you again to everyone for participating in this process. For additional opportunities to engage in this process or any other inquiries, please feel free to contact Lucas Pavan or Cristina Hernandez.
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS
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From September 25 to October 1, a total of 13 cruise ships will be arriving with an estimated 55K passengers. We have five business meetings on the books, along with two citywide-impact events including:
- 2023 VIFF (Vancouver International Film Festival), September 28 to October 8.
- Live Nation Canada - Sting, September 29 at Rogers Arena.
There are also three other trade shows along with a conference at the Vancouver Convention Centre during the same time. However, as we enter the Fall season, we are seeing decreases in both hotel bookings and air bookings for next week compared to the current week.
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DESTINATION VANCOUVER MEMBER EVENTS
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Save the Date!
Annual Holiday Luncheon | December 13 | Fairmont Hotel Vancouver
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You’re Invited!
2024 Tourism Outlook Briefing | October 11 | 9:00AM - 11:30AM | SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts
As we look forward to the year ahead for our industry and your business, knowledge and understanding of the latest tourism trends and developments will be key to business planning and strategy development for 2024. At this event, The Conference Board of Canada, Vancouver Airport Authority and Destination Vancouver will share our latest economic outlook, Vancouver International Airport update, tourism trends and outlook for 2024 for our destination. Please join us for this 2024 Tourism Outlook Briefing.
This is an in-person event and will NOT be live-streamed.
Speakers:
Pedro Antunes, Chief Economist, The Conference Board of Canada
Russell Atkinson, Director, Air Service Development, Vancouver Airport Authority
Eugene Chu, Manager, Research & Business Insights, Destination Vancouver
Registration Opens 8:15AM – Morning Refreshments will be available.
To register for this event – please refer to the invitation emailed to you August 31st.
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OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEMBERS
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37th Annual Mid-Autumn Moon Festival - A Circus of Dreams at
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
September 29-30 | 5:00PM - 11:00PM | Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden
The Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is a cherished tradition in Chinese culture, celebrated with lanterns, mooncakes, and cultural performances. The festival not only serves as a vibrant celebration but also as an opportunity to support a non-profit organization, the local community and the cultural enrichment of Chinatown.
The festival will feature live cultural performances, delicious food and mooncakes, artisan vendors, lantern displays, activities for families and children.
Tickets here.
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Membership Satisfaction Pulse Check
Destination Vancouver surveys our members twice a year through a Pulse Check each summer and winter. The last Pulse Check was this past July and top-level results will now be shared with members after each survey.
Surveys were sent, by email, to the primary contacts of all of our members. The response rate was 8.1%; we’ve seen a slight increase in response drop rate since last December and will continue to encourage higher response rates.
Highlights:
- Overall member satisfaction stood at 88% (compared to 83% in Dec 2022).
- Most valuable Destination Vancouver program and initiative was the sharing of business insights to support business decisions (93%).
- The most important things that Destination Vancouver can do over the coming six months to support tourism remain the same as surveyed last time – which include advocating to all levels of government on issues of importance to our industry (including public safety) and promoting Vancouver as a top-of-mind destination to generate more business opportunities for .
You’ll find the detailed report here.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to give us their feedback. These are valuable insights and the results are used to inform Destination Vancouver’s business planning throughout the year.
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Fall Events & Activities
Destination Vancouver’s Consumer Marketing team is looking for unique fall products, experiences, and events to use in upcoming campaigns, newsletters, and social media. Please send any applicable creative and information to social@destinationvancouver.com
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BUSINESS RESOURCES & ADVOCACY
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Food Affordability and Innovation Fund
The Food Affordability and Innovation Fund supports approaches and collaborations at strategic nodes along the food supply chain to strengthen and streamline logistics, storage and transportation and improve access to affordable food, particularly in remote, rural, and/or indigenous communities.
The Food Affordability and Innovation Fund (FAI) is an up to $20M program funded by the Government of BC through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food (AF) and delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC (IAF).
There are two programs streams:
Food Storage, Distribution and Retail Program and Small Food Processor Scale-Up Program.
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Advocacy Impact Session
STVRs and the Housing Crisis | September 21 | 10:00AM
Join the BC Hotel Association on September 21 at 10 am PST for an essential advocacy update addressing Short-Term Vacation Rentals (STVRs) and the housing crisis. This session unveils groundbreaking research findings on the STVR industry's impact in BC, along with effective solutions for the future. Gain insights into BC's STVR impact, nationwide efforts, real-time BC data, proven solutions, and ways to support advocacy. This critical education session welcomes operators in tourism and hospitality, DMOs, business leaders, and government officials.
Register here.
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RECENTLY PUBLISHED STORIES
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Finding your way through a corn maze near Vancouver is a fun fall activity for all ages. There’s something for everyone including mini-mazes for kids, scary haunted mazes for brave adults, and mystery mazes full of clues.
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Fall is harvest time! Celebrate by picking your own apples. Visit a farm, hit up farm stands, or head to an apple festival for the freshest fruit.
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Celebrate at the movies during the city’s eleven-day cinematic showcase when the 42nd annual Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) kicks off from September 28 to October 8. Choose between hundreds of local, Canadian, and international films to watch.
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With Vancouver’s gorgeous natural environment and lively urban environment, you’ll want to keep your camera handy at all times. Here are 10 locations for getting you started on your photo adventures. Tag #VeryVancouver on social media for the chance to have your credited photo featured by Destination Vancouver.
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Combine the health benefits of icy dips with the beauty of nature for a transformative experience. Here’s how to cold plunge in the great outdoors around Vancouver.
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Ask the chef of a MICHELIN-Starred restaurant about the latest trends and chances are what you’ll get in response is a puzzled silence. “I don’t pay attention to trends or follow trends,” says Gus Stieffenhofer-Brandson, executive chef at the MICHELIN-Starred Published on Main. “I just focus on what’s going around me.”
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In-Market Activities
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American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Five Star Event
September 20-23, 2023 | Orlando
This ASAE event is exclusively created and designed for association CEOs, providing opportunities to network, learn, and discuss critical issues facing associations today. This annual event allows each participating destination partner to host three top ASAE clients. Vancouver is very pleased to partner with three citywide clients; Entomological Society of America, Geological Society of America and the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. Dave Gazley will be leading this initiative on behalf of Destination Vancouver.
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Savour West Coast Flavours
September 21, 2023 | Miami
Destination Vancouver, in collaboration VR, is prouwith the VHDA and Yd to support Air Canada's year-round non-stop flight between Miami and Vancouver. We are inviting high-value clients, travel advisors, local media, and government officials to join an exclusive event celebrating Vancouver's diverse culinary scene and the transition of Air Canada's seasonal-only offering to year-round availability on the MIA-YVR route. Ana Vazquez will be leading this initiative on behalf of Destination Vancouver.
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Air Canada Singapore Sales Mission
September 25-30, 2023 | Singapore
Air Canada is launching a new flight from Singapore to Vancouver, starting in April 2024. In preparation for the launch, Air Canada has invited Destination Vancouver to participate in a sales mission in-market. The new Air Canada service further positions Vancouver as their trans-Pacific hub and a pivotal stop connecting Canada, North America, and Asia. The purpose of the trip is to support Air Canada and YVR and find opportunities together to develop and cultivate this high potential market. Krista Alcazar will be attending on behalf of Destination Vancouver.
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PCMA Partnership Summit
September 28-October 1 | Panama City
The Professional Convention and Management Association Partnership Summit is an event that features executive level education and VIP relationship-building opportunities. Jackie Kavcak will be leading this initiative on behalf of Destination Vancouver.
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Destination Canada Business Events National Advisory Committee
October 4-6, 2023 | St John’s
To ensure alignment between Destination Canada Business Events and industry, the mandate of this advisory committee is to provide strategic advice and counsel to Destination Canada management and Board. The Committee helps inform and provide input relating to key insights, program opportunities, market strategies, and trends relating to business events. Dave Gazley is a long-time member of this committee on behalf of Destination Vancouver and Vancouver, having acted as Chair 2017-2019.
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CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
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We're Hiring!
Are you, or is someone you know, looking for a career in a destination management and destination promotion organization? Destination Vancouver wants to meet dynamic, ambitious, collaborative and fun individuals to join our high performing team.
As industry leaders, our job is to promote the tourism industry in Metro Vancouver and generate business for our members through strategic, innovative and sustainable sales and marketing initiatives.
Destination Vancouver is committed to fostering an environment that is diverse and inclusive of people from all backgrounds, passions and interests and we invite applications from all qualified candidates. We are dedicated to providing an atmosphere free from barriers in order to promote diversity, equity and inclusion. Consistent with our values, we celebrate and welcome the diversity of all Team Members, volunteers, stakeholders, members, external contractors and partners.
Current Positions:
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