Hotel Industry Update
Thank you for joining the BCHA and Minstry of Labour yesterday for our webinar and open forum on the Temporary Layoff Variance Tool. You can watch the webinar or view the presentation below.
The British Columbia Hotel Association along with the British Columbia Regional Tourism Secretariat, and the British Columbia Destination Marketing Organization Association are continuing to collect, compile, and report on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism industry to help gather feedback on potential response and recovery measures.

This information was gathered from over 364 different tourism businesses.

Key issues raised in the report:

·   24% of firms are operating with business as usual, which is lower than the 38% national average
·   907 staff have been hired or rehired across 203 firms.
·   51% of firms saw a decrease of at least 50% in year-over-year revenue.
·   36% of firms were unable to pay all their June bills.
·   Remote and seasonal firms reported the largest number of staff layoffs, as well as the weakest rehiring activity since re-opening measures.

View the full report here.
Val Litwin Resigns as BC Chamber of Commerce Chair
The BC Chamber of Commerce announced today that Val Litwin, chair for the previous four years, has presented his letter of resignation to the Chair of the Board of Directors and his last day in the seat will be August 28th, 2020. 

“The positive transformation the organization has undergone during Val’s tenure has been impressive,” said Aleece Laird, Board Chair of the BCCC. “In his four years as CEO, the organization repositioned our brand to ‘know what’s on BC’s mind’ and launched a best-in-class insight platform that is changing how we deliver value for our members, our partners, and government. More recently, during the pandemic – and in lockstep with our local chambers, boards of trade, and other association partners – Val and the organization led the B.C. business community to some historic policy wins that helped save thousands of small businesses and good paying jobs for British Columbians. We thank him for the tone he has set in our network and in the community.”
The BCHA would like to wish Val well on his future endeavors and thank him for his contributions.
Tourism HR Canada is pleased to announce today the appointment of Krista Bax, CEO of go2HR and 3 others to its Board of Directors.

Krista brings a wealth of experience from other industries in crisis to tourism’s short and long-term workforce recovery efforts.

The Directors will help guide the organization in fulfilling its mandate to build a world-leading tourism workforce and offer leadership as it supports the hard-hit sector in recovering and building resiliency in the face of COVID-19.
BCHA & Member News
Physical distancing, mask-wearing could be in place for...

Canadians shouldn't expect a COVID-19 vaccine to be a "silver bullet" that will bring a swift end to the coronavirus pandemic and a return to normal, according to the country's chief public health officer. Dr. Theresa Tam used her briefing on...

Read more
www.cbc.ca
Coast Tsawwassen Inn undergoes extensive remodernization

Coast Hotels are a collection of unique hotels that have strong connections to the communities in which they are nestled, and reflect the character of the area in which they're located. Coast . . .

Read more
www.delta-optimist.com
Government Announces New Extension of Rent Relief for...

Today, Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced that the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) will be extended by one month to help eligible small business pay rent for August. All provinces and territories continue to participate...

Read more
www.canada.ca
BCHF Lottery Prizes Needed
We understand that everyone in the hospitality and tourism industry has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and that you may not be in a position to donate right now. That’s OK! Our charity’s 2020 fundraising plans changed drastically due to the pandemic – we’ve had to cancel all our in-person events for the year – but like everyone else we’re doing what we can to survive this challenge so we can continue operating in the future.
 
For the past 3 years we benefited from an online lottery called Hotels to Help (licensed by the BC Lottery Commission) that raised over $55,000, and last year we launched Wine Country to Help, which raised over $15,000. This year we will have ONE online lottery in mid-October.  

We’re looking for “experiential prizes” that we can combine with several restaurant gift cards we have on hand to give people exciting trips within BC. Lottery prize donations can be made redeemable for 2021 dates only. The lottery is promoted with press releases and online.  We receive well over 30,000 views of the lottery prizes.

Examples would be accommodation, meals, experiences & VIP tastings. *Please note that alcohol can’t be a prize for this lottery

Deadline for lottery items is August 10th, 2020
Expected dates of lottery: October 13th - November 1, 2020(pending license approval)
Prizes drawn November 2nd.

To donate, please complete the form here
As part of our education pillar, BCHA continues to offer new courses and webinars from our education partners. Through our education series, BCHA members and hospitality professionals may access tools for continued growth within the hospitality industry at a significantly reduced price. We encourage you to take this time to explore the courses below:

Kennedy Training Network

go2HR
 
Click here to sign up for any of the upcoming courses or webinars or learn more about all the education BCHA has to offer.
COVID-19 UPDATES ONLINE AT BCHA.COM