Tourism & Hospitality Recovery Act
Category: Economy — Economy
Summary
Support tourism industry recovery and promote BC as a world-class destination.
What this proposal changes
- Creates a BC Tourism Recovery Fund of $150 million to provide grants to tourism businesses, festivals, and cultural events that have not recovered to pre-pandemic revenue levels.
- Funds Destination BC with an additional $50 million annually to expand international marketing campaigns in high-value visitor markets.
- Establishes a BC Tourism Workforce Development Program to train 5,000 hospitality workers annually in partnership with industry associations.
- Introduces a BC Tourism Infrastructure Fund of $200 million for signature tourism experiences, trail networks, and visitor infrastructure in regional communities.
Arguments for
- BC tourism generated $19.7 billion in GDP pre-pandemic; recovery to that level would restore tens of thousands of jobs in communities with limited economic alternatives.
- Regional tourism infrastructure investment distributes economic benefits to rural communities that do not benefit proportionally from urban economic growth.
- Workforce development addresses the chronic labour shortage in hospitality that currently limits BC's tourism capacity.
Arguments against
- Recovery grants to individual businesses create competitive distortions and may subsidise businesses that are unviable regardless of the pandemic.
- Destination BC marketing returns are difficult to measure and attribute; the additional investment may not be cost-effective relative to other tourism development tools.
- Tourism infrastructure in fragile ecosystems can generate adverse environmental impacts that need careful management.
Cost & implementation
Tourism Recovery Fund: $150 million one-time. Destination BC marketing: $50 million annually. Workforce Development: $30–50 million annually. Tourism Infrastructure Fund: $200 million over five years.
Jurisdiction & legal authority
Tourism promotion and business support are fully within provincial jurisdiction. National parks and some First Nations tourism assets involve federal and Nation-level agreements.
How to vote
Visit cascadia.vote/questions/pnwc-A39 to cast your vote: Yes, No, or Maybe.
See all consultation questions · View results
This platform requires JavaScript for full interactivity. Please enable JavaScript or visit cascadia.vote in a modern browser.