May 2008 - InnTouch Newsletter
Strong hotel bookings forecasted for May 2008
Tourism British Columbia reports that BC room revenues will increase 1.5% on average from March to May 2008. Having jumped 4.7% in February 2008 compared to last year, room revenues were forecasted for steady growth in March and April at 2.1% and .5%.
Hotel room bookings for May appear strong. Bright spots include the Cariboo-Chilcotin Coast with 4.3% room revenue growth over last year, 3.8% growth in the Northern BC region and 3.1% growth on Vancouver Island. The Vancouver and Coast Mountains region is expected to rise 1.9% in revenues.
New Tourism BC board members announced
The BC Hotel Association (BCHA) congratulates the new members to the Tourism BC Board. Laird Miller, Sonora Resort Chief Financial Officer, Chris Zimmerman, Vancouver Canucks CEO and Nancy Stibbard, President of the Capilano Group of Companies have recently been appointed to Tourism BC's board of directors. Their combined wealth of experience in marketing, finance and tourism will surely strengthen Tourism BC's leadership in promoting BC as a top international destination
The BCHA also pays tribute and extends many thanks to Charles McDiarmid, Managing Director of the Wickaninnish Inn & Pointe Restaurant at Tofino, who has left Tourism BC's board of directors after serving diligently for three terms.
This past March, the provincial government passed legislation that increased the amount of Hotel Room Tax provided to Tourism BC to 3 points from 1.65 points of the eight per cent collected. The extra funds will give a boost to Tourism BC's marketing initiatives as its budget is expected to increase to approximately $62 million in the first year.
Representing the Hotel industry on Tourism BC's board of directors will be Laird Miller. Mr. Miller brings a wide array of experience, including financial systems development, insurance, risk management and privacy compliance spanning the Hospitality, Airline and Retail industries. The BCHA is pleased to have such quality leadership advocating for BC hoteliers on Tourism BC's board of directors.
It pays to go green
The greening of the hotel industry is off to a great start in 2008. The Vancouver-based Sandman Hotels, Inns & Suites chain is one of the latest recipients of the Green Key Eco-rating designation. To date, 140 BC hotels have completed the Green Key audit with another 52 in the pipeline. The BCHA anticipates that 400 BC hotels will hold the Green Key designation by the end of the year.
The Green Key program is a graduated rating system administered by the Hotel Association of Canada to recognize hotels, motels and resorts that are committed to improving their environmental performance.
British Columbia is on the leading edge of environmental sustainability. The BC government gave new impetus to the environmental movement by introducing a new carbon tax and rewarding businesses and individuals who take action on climate change.
BC hoteliers can enhance their brand identity; lessen their carbon footprint and attract environmentally conscious travelers by taking steps to develop sustainable business practices.
Southern Ontario ripe for hotel recruitment
BC hoteliers received an influx of qualified applications from the BCHA’s recruitment efforts at five Southern Ontario job fairs, which took place in February 2008. The purpose of the fairs was to promote the province's hotel industry and assist BC hoteliers in attracting and hiring new workers.
The BCHA promoted the job orders we received and the 280-plus hotel positions available in BC to many qualified prospects. At the BCHA job fair booth, we collected 110-plus solid resumes, 95 of which have been sent to our members and some applicants have already been hired.
Southern Ontario will continue to be a ripe location for hotel staff recruitment. It offers a dense population and a large, and qualified work-ready labour force.
BC hoteliers who are considering applying for foreign workers should visit our online employment service programs called RoomServiceCanada.ca and FoodServiceCanada.ca . Both programs help fill hotel positions with appropriately qualified immigrant workers from the Philippines and other countries who are interested in working in British Columbia
