After Canada received approved destination status from Beijing in 2010 there was considerable spin about the tsunami of tourist dollars about to flood our way from the Middle Kingdom. Well folks, those predictions are rapidly becoming a reality.
The United Nations World Tourism Organization recently disclosed that Chinahas become the biggest outbound travel market in the world, with a staggering US$102 billion spent worldwide last year. In February 2012, more than 22,000 travellers entered Canada from China. This year, during the same period, that number rose to 29,400 trips, a 31 per cent increase.
At the moment, the wait time for Canadian visas is much longer than usual due to an ongoing labour dispute between Canadian Foreign Service personnel and Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Despite that bump in the road, it is estimated that 75 flights from China will be landing in Canada every week this summer.
The Canadian Tourism Commission is actively targeting Chinese travel consumers with a widespread marketing campaign. According to Tourism BC, "the field is open to convince the Chinese traveller that your destination is a must-see part of our country." Many tourist oriented operations, like Grouse Mountain and Whistler Blackcomb, have already clued in. And last year, the Taicheng Development Corporation, a major Chinese real estate firm, purchased a large property in Britannia Beach with ambitious plans to build three hotels, a winery, a supermarket, and 3,000 residential units.
The company says it "is committed to a town where the waterfront is celebrated and attracts locals, tourists and outdoor recreation enthusiasts." No doubt many of those tourists will be flocking to Britannia Beach from Taicheng's homeland.
So, what are the movers and shakers in the Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada up to, when it comes to this expanding window of opportunity? In September 2010, with a push from our Chief Administrative Officer Kevin Ramsay, Mayor Greg Gardner and 撸奶社区General Manager of Community Services, Cameron Chalmers, travelled to Shanghai on a business development initiative. That was then, this is now. Kevin Ramsay has decamped to Port Moody, Greg Gardner has left politics, and Cameron Chalmers, after his abrupt exit from the employ of the DOS, has launched a private consultancy. In the meantime, the China connection appears to have faded from the district's radar at a time when all local stakeholders should be developing a co-ordinated promotional strategy and establishing partnerships with leading travel agencies and tour operators in key Chinese cities. The pending wave of visitors from China also lends even more urgency to putting spades in the ground at the Oceanfront Development site. As this emerging market gains momentum, there is no better time to consider the following traditional Chinese proverb: "Dig the well before you are thirsty."
