Golden is the home of one of six BC Visitors Centres operated by Destination BC, a crown corporation dedicated to promoting British Columbia’s tourism industry.
Destination BC has released a whole new strategy to best serve B.C.’s tourism industry, this includes a revitalized destination brand that will be used to market British Columbia to prospective visitors from around the world.
“When the government created Destination BC 18 months ago, it was clear that it would be industry-led, and would adjust according to the market,” said Marsha Walden, president of Destination BC. “We’re looking at a more competitive landscape as the power of tourism grows, and our new strategy has come from input and consumer feedback.”
Over the next three years the plan is to re-focus their operations so that their primary role is marketing B.C. Although Walden said the future of the six visitors centres (including Golden’s) has not been laid out yet, she did say that there could be some changes down the road.
“We want to make sure that our service stays in step with how our visitors are changing, and how they want to receive our service,” she said.
Marketing an area as diverse at B.C. can have its challenges, but Walden says their goal is to grab a potential visitor’s attention through marketing, and hopefully inspire them to do some exploring on their own to see the thousands of experiences they could have in British Columbia.
The province’s rugged wilderness, from coastline to mountains, contrasted with its refined cities, makes B.C. a very unique destination says Walden.
“We really are unlike any other place on the planet,” she said.
