The emotion was audible in the voice of Tourism Richmond’s CEO as she recounted how she and industry colleagues were finally able to come together last week for a conference in Richmond after two years of COVID-19 restrictions.
The last time they met was in March 2020 in Victoria just days before the world came to a virtual standstill as the virus started wreaking havoc on the tourism industry across the globe.
Early in the pandemic, international travel declined up to 90 per cent, but it is now finally seeing somewhat of a rebound.
Small said the recent announcement that COVID-19 restrictions at the border are being eased on April 1 will have a big impact on tourism.
“You cannot underestimate how massive that is… not only for Richmond, but for the industry as a whole and the confidence that will hopefully build, another wave notwithstanding,” she said.
It won’t be like turning on a switch, she added, and, while she’s “cautiously optimistic” things will start to bounce back this summer, it could take years for the industry to fully recover.
But, in the meantime, the focus of tourism has shifted to looking at the community impact of tourism.
Small said her “number-one customer” now is the community of Richmond.
“Because if they don’t like people coming into their community, if they don’t believe Richmond is a place where people want to come, it makes our jobs much more difficult,” Small said. “What’s good for the community is good for tourism.”
The city announced this week it will continue to collect the three-per-cent hotel tax – of which two per cent goes to Tourism Richmond - for the next five years.
Small said this means Tourism Richmond can continue to support the local tourism industry as it rebuilds after the pandemic.
Workshops at the Richmond conference, held at the Sheraton, focused on emerging trends, for example, reconciliation and sustainability.
A “very powerful theme” at the conference was how tourism can work as a “pathway to reconciliation” with Indigenous people, Small said, something that’s been gaining momentum over the past few years.
“It’s pretty exciting to see some of the things we do as industry can really help … whether it’s economic development within many … Indigenous communities, or employment or just knowledge and education around Indigenous culture,” Small said.
As far as sustainability is concerned, Small said the tourism industry is thinking about “mindful travel,” and how to reduce the impact on the environment as people start to travel again, “and what are the things we can do as an industry to mitigate that and make things better,” Small said.
This might include “small steps” like taking public transit instead of renting a car, or avoiding plastic cups.
Even the airport is trying to lower its footprint by making its operations carbon neutral by 2030, Small added.
The conference was held at Sheraton with the 600 participants staying a three Richmond hotels.
The conference was also mired in some controversy following comments from a board member of the Tourism Industry Association of BC.
Vivek Sharma recognized International Women’s Day, asking the women in the room to stand up, but then told them to go back to cleaning rooms and washing dishes.
Sharma resigned from the board about a week later and also resigned from the boards of the BC Chamber of Commerce and the BC Hotel Association.
The Richmond News has reached out to TIABC and Sharma for comment.
