I want to begin by acknowledging the extreme weather's impacts on many communities in our province. We work very closely with our colleagues in the Fraser Valley, and seeing what they are going through has been difficult to comprehend. As we witnessed during COVID-19 and the forest fires this summer, our industry and community have stepped forward to support the impacted communities. We saw everything from individual donations to helicopters and airplanes loaded with supplies to help those in need. Thank you to everyone that took the time to lend support; we have heard directly how appreciated the support is.
Destination BC has created some messaging guidance in response to the BC storm impacts that we are sharing below and encourage you to review. With the province being in a state of emergency and fuel restrictions in place until December 14th, we will not be promoting any non-essential travel to the Township of Langley. We have added a section for extreme weather to the "Know Before You Go" page of our website, and we are keeping it updated as we receive new information.
We submitted our 2022 tactical plan to Destination BC last week, and as soon as it is approved, we will share it with everyone via email and the Stakeholder page of our website. We are also at the draft stage of our 2022 – 2027 Five Year Strategic Plan, which will be shared with you soon to provide input before our submission to Destination BC.
As we begin to wrap up 2021, we want to thank each of you for all you do to make the Township of Langley the destination that it is. Our community is full of small independent businesses, and we know there have been so many challenges you have had to overcome. We are proud to represent you and look forward to working with you in 2022.
Erinn and Daniella
UPDATE: BC STORM MESSAGING GUIDANCE
On November 29th, Destination BC updated the Special Edition: Emergency Response to the BC Storm Messaging Guidance document which outlines key messaging, information, and resources for BC’s tourism industry. It includes guidance for regional and community/city destination marketing & management organizations, sector associations, and tourism businesses.
Please refer to the messaging guide for information on how you can support your community, residents, visitors, and each other during this difficult time. We will continue to update you with key messaging as the various situations arise.
Destination BC’s Know Before You Go page also includes key information resources for travelers and tourism businesses.
PreparedBC has additional resources and step-by-step guides to prepare tourism businesses and their staff for emergencies, with templates and tools to help operators easily plan a fast and effective response.
SUPPORT AVAILABLE FOR BUSINESSES IMPACTED BY DISASTERS
Supports for businesses impacted by disasters, including the recent flooding and mudslides, are available from the federal and provincial governments, community organizations and the private sector. Small Business BC has also compiled a portal of resources available to business owners to help with managing the day-to-day situation, as well as planning for rebuild. You’ll also find answers to some of the most common questions business owners will face.
PROPEL: A NEW WAGE SUBSIDY
Need help bringing on new staff? Hiring students is a great way to build your team for short-term needs and to build a talent pipeline for the long term! And now you can access a wage subsidy of up to $7,500 through Propel, a brand new Student Work Placement Program (SWPP)!
Propel is offered through Tourism HR Canada, a Canadian organization with a mandate aimed at building a world-leading tourism workforce. Propel is specifically designed to support the tourism and hospitality sector.
THE FORUM SERIES FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN TOURISM
The Vancouver, Coast & Mountains team, managed by Destination BC, is collaborating with The Forum, to create a tourism program tailored specifically for women-led businesses and entrepreneurs.
The two-day virtual program will provide expertise and resources to support women in tourism, delivered by The Forum and other subject matters experts in January 2022.
The Forum is a BC-based national charity whose mission is to provide self-identified women entrepreneurs with the resources and community they need to succeed in business.
The free, application-based virtual program will take place over two days on January 13 and 20, 2022.
Applications will be accepted until December 15, 2021 at 4:00pm PST or until all available spots have been filled. You are advised to apply early as applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
The Tourism Digital Academy is a free, 8-week digital marketing program for BC tourism businesses who are interested in building their knowledge and skills in digital marketing to an intermediate level.
Designed for business owners or their marketing team members, this comprehensive program is focused on providing practical, actionable guidance to complete your digital marketing plan. From setting your goals to building a better understanding of SEO, website usability, content, email marketing, analytics and more – you’ll leave the program with the confidence and knowledge to put that plan into action.
The program includes:
• 8 weeks of interactive sessions led by digital marketing experts and ongoing access to the video recordings (Tuesdays & Thursdays each week for a total of four hours per week)
• Technical tutorials to dig deeper into specific areas and share experiences with other participants (Wednesdays each week for one hour)
• One-to-one coaching available, on-demand, to answer your sticky questions
• Audits of your business website, SEO and social media channels, to assess your current situation
• A marketing plan template to guide the development of your own plan
• Opportunities for peer support and networking
There are multiple intakes, each running for 8-weeks beginning the week of:
• January 10 – currently accepting applications
• January 17 – currently accepting applications
Eligibility and Application
The application-based program is free for all participants. To be eligible for the program you must:
• Be a BC-based tourism business, whose product or service is regularly available for purchase within BC (community tourism and sector organizations are also eligible);
• Have an active business website;
• Demonstrate, through the application form, a minimum level of digital marketing experience;
• Be able to dedicate up to 10 hours per week to the program: five hours to attend classes and tutorial sessions, and up to five hours to apply the learning to your marketing plan as you go.
INDIGENOUS TOURISM BC "SPARK" MENTORSHIPS & GRANTS PROGRAM
Destination BC, Indigenous Tourism BC and the Tourism Innovation Lab have partnered to launch the Indigenous Tourism BC “Spark” Program. The initiative will spark new Indigenous tourism ideas and experiences which authentically represent, celebrate, and promote Indigenous cultures, heritage, language, cuisine, and communities in BC. The program matches selected applicants with a tourism mentor and provides a $5,000 seed grant to help develop new tourism ideas.
Indigenous entrepreneurs, small businesses, and non-profits based are encouraged to register for an upcoming information session on December 2 at 5:00pm-5:45pm PT.
To learn more about the "Spark" Mentorships & Grants Program click HERE.
DESTINATION BC LEARNING CENTRE
Did you know that Destination BC has a Learning Centre that provides access to FREE resources and tools, best practices, workshops, and training programs for BC’s tourism industry?
New content is added regularly for tourism businesses to grow their skills in eight subject areas: digital marketing, experience development, social media marketing, travel trade & travel media, applying insights, safety & emergency preparedness, accessible tourism, and the Super, Natural British Columbia® brand. You can access it here.
SMALL BUSINESS BC PARTNERSHIP
Eager to learn how to harness the power of social media to spread awareness and generate leads for your business? Or, are you struggling to create a standout, easily navigable website?
Destination BC has partnered with Small Business BC (SBBC) to provide tourism stakeholders across the province with free access to webinars and online education to support COVID-19 recovery and mitigate ongoing impacts. These free sessions are offered online, by phone, email, webinar or in person (if available).
CLICK HERE to access the webinar code, and see what topics are coming up next.
Tourism Langley a variety of printed materials that we make available to you, such as Pads of Tear Off Maps, Circle Farm Tour Brochures, Fraser Valley Ale Trail Brochures, Experiences Guides, Food & Wine Guides and Explorer Newspaper. Please use our order form to request the items you would like to have. Once we receive your order, we will reach out and deliver them to your door!
WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS HOLIDAY SEASON?
Please share anything your business is doing over the holidays so we can share it with partners and our social channels as applicable. A few ideas are:
Memorable holiday-themed menu items
New products
Unique gifts or gift boxes
Holiday events or activities
Picture-worthy displays
If it is new, we would love to hear about it; you can update us via a reply to this email or daniella@tourism-langley.ca.
#LANGLEYFRESH GIFT BOX
Our #LangleyFresh Christmas Gift Boxes are now available for purchase! The boxes are $85 (inc. tax) with $5 going to the stɑl̓əw̓ Arts & Cultural Society. They feature a variety of items, all sourced from the Township of Langley. Click HERE to learn more about the products and businesses featured and how to purchase your Gift Box!
STAKEHOLDER NEWS
The Greater Vancouver Zoo has been recognized by Canada's Accredited Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA) for Excellence in Animal Care and Conservation along with six other facilities across Canada. Additionally, the Zoo's Oregon Spotted Frog Recovery Program received the Colonel G.D Dailley Award.
This Fall at the Canadian Craft Beer Awards, Five Roads Brewing took home the gold medal in the American Style India Pale Ale category for their Permanent Resident IPA. Additionally, Smugglers Trail Caskworks received silver in the English Style India Pale Ale category for their Orion 1-1 Poppy Seed IPA.
If you have any exciting news you would like us to share in our monthly newsletter, please email daniella@tourism-langley.ca.
UPCOMING EVENTS
The following events are scheduled for this month. For the most up to date information or to submit your event please visit our website HERE
