Resources

Highlights

Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation

Inter-governmental Relations

Air Competitiveness

Access by air is critical to the success and growth of B.C.’s tourism industry. This relates to the development of the routes that directly connect B.C. airports from foreign and Canadian destinations, as well as strategies to make B.C. a lower-cost destination for tourists. Gaining additional airlift capacity from our key markets to British Columbia remains a priority for the province. The Ministry is working with other ministries, agencies, airports, and other stakeholders to identify priorities to improve air capacity to B.C.

The Ministry encourages government actions and policies that result in a freer flow of people to and within B.C. This includes working with Federal, Provincial and Territorial partners on air policies and advocating for enhanced bilateral air agreements with other countries to ensure a viable, accessible, multi-modal transportation system in B.C.

For more information on current provincial efforts to improve air transportation see the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s website on Open Skies.

Border Initiatives

Recognizing that non-Canadian tourists must cross a secure border to enter B.C., the Ministry has engaged in several transportation and business forums to address border wait times, visa issues and preclearance initiatives.

The Beyond the Border declaration, made by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Barack Obama on Feb. 4, 2011, presents a shared vision for perimeter security and economic competitiveness. This represents an opportunity to develop solutions that will make it easier for tourists to cross the border. This includes identifying pre-clearance opportunities for low-risk travellers, shared tourist visa processing for some countries, and shared customs and immigration services at border crossings. B.C. contributed information and ideas to this process at the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region’s (PNWER) 2011 conference and looks forward to assisting with implementation where appropriate. For more information on PNWER’s current initiatives, see Pacific NorthWest Economic Region.

The Ministry partnered with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure on the Greening the Border Initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the Peace Arch Border Crossing on Highway 99. This involved reducing idling as well as allowing drivers to choose less congested routes by offering wait time information on the four Lower Mainland crossings. To learn more, visit the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s website.

Canadian Council of Tourism Ministers

Federal, Provincial and Territorial tourism ministers meet regularly to discuss issues of concern to the Canadian tourism sector and work together to seek solutions. In 2010, B.C. was the host province and co-chaired the minsters’ meeting, which resulted in agreement to address several challenges and opportunities. For more information, see the news releases for the last three meetings in 2010, 2009, and 2006.

Federal Provincial Territorial Tourism Initiative

Since 2003, Canadian Heritage has co-ordinated efforts by the Provinces and Territories to better incorporate culture and heritage with tourism. A working group undertakes projects to meet this goal, with participation from the Ministry, and the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development.