Tourism Vancouver enters its 119th year with a new name and mandate
Today, the Board of Directors and senior leadership team of Vancouver’s tourism association is pleased to announce a new name and expanded mandate. During Tourism Vancouver’s 118th AGM, President and CEO Royce Chwin unveiled the adoption of a new name Destination Vancouver, with a mandate founded on core pillars of destination development and destination promotion.
“An expanded focus, which includes destination development in addition to promotion, will enable and support a stronger, more resilient sector, post-pandemic”, said Robyn McVicker, Destination Vancouver Board Chair. “The evolution of the organization is designed to better support members and Vancouver communities, and the name is more representative of the many partners working together to strengthen Vancouver’s position globally.”
“There is no denying that the past 16 months have been exceptionally challenging for our members, and for everyone involved in the visitor economy. The pandemic handed us an opportunity to reflect on our purpose, work and values,” said Royce Chwin, President & CEO of Destination Vancouver. “As outlined in our 2021 Business Sprint, our goal has been to build a stronger, more resilient tourism industry, that represents a ‘triple bottom line’ which takes into account the needs of people and the planet, while still remaining profitable. We believe the path that we’re committed to now will ensure we achieve that goal,” said Chwin.
Destination Vancouver’s new mandate will see the association ‘support Vancouver's tourism industry in developing their experiences, and promote Vancouver in national, US and international markets.’ The role of Destination Vancouver will be to help all relevant partners contribute to a common goal of building destination competitiveness, managed growth, and social responsibility. Destination Promotion is fundamental to the many services the organization has been providing to members for over 100 years and includes such support as gathering and sharing business intelligence; attracting lifestyle, business and major events to the city; and leveraging regional, national and international collaboration to grow awareness and inspire visitation.
Destination Development ensures continued advocacy for members, and supports policy, planning, and capacity building efforts for the destination. Initiatives will focus on sustainability and resilience: prioritizing environmental stewardship in ways which protect the future of communities; and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: creating conditions that ensure everyone feels welcome to contribute, participate, and benefit from Vancouver’s visitor economy.
The process to arrive at the new mandate and expanded focus included a variety of external and internal engagement. Members and community stakeholders provided input through a robust survey, participation in focus groups, and individual interviews.
The Destination Vancouver AGM, held on June 24th, took place as a hybrid event, with a limited live audience of 50 members in attendance at the BC Place Stadium, while being simultaneously streamed to a wide range of registered guests who participated virtually.