This past week, after attending the jointly held Western Hotel Investment Conference at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver, it is clear, our industry is well into recovery, with British Columbia leading the country in all aspects that include RevPar, as well as potential hotel builds and investments. Yet, after the more than two years of pandemic restrictions, it will still take time to achieve complete recovery.
With that in mind, our work on the Federal Tourism Growth Strategy with our partners in the province as well as our partner at the Hotel Association of Canada will take some investment in time and research to ensure our priority projects receive the attention they deserve. However, progress is well underway and we are committed to seeing our priorities reach the finish line.
It was announced today that the BC Government will not support the Olympic 2030 bid. While our province's tourism and hospitality community was eager to see a successful BC 2030 Olympic bid—particularly given the economic boost it would provide following the COVID-19 pandemic—we understand their decision as there are pressures British Columbians are facing that require both significant attention and investment.
While we are indeed disappointed, we remain grateful that our tourism sector will have the opportunity to spotlight British Columbia on the world-stage as we host the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2025 Invictus Games, which will support with our industry's recovery. It is going to be more important than ever that strategic international marketing resumes with gusto as our position on the world stage is increasingly important for the recovery timeline. We thank our DMO network for leading that charge!
We wish to express our deepest thanks to the Lil̓wat7úl (Líl̓wat), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations, the Canadian Olympic Committee, and the Canadian Paralympic Committee for their demonstrated collaboration, leadership, and innovation in developing the historic bid. Indigenous tourism is reconciliation in action and we will continue to work hand-in-hand, identifying new opportunities to drive positive change through discovery and understanding.
Ingrid Jarrett
President & CEO
BC Hotel Association
