[City of Powell River Council members have been provided an overview of Sunshine Coast Tourism’s (SCT) operations for 2024.
At a June 19 meeting, SCT executive director Annie Wise said she was appearing before council to share highlights from the organization’s 2024 annual report and to reflect on the measurable value the organization delivers on behalf of Powell River.
“Tourism isn’t just about visitors, it’s a powerful economic driver that touches nearly every part of our local economy,” said Wise. “What we are doing at Sunshine Coast Tourism often isn’t just about promotion. It’s about making sure that tourism supports the well-being of our community, creates value for local businesses and reflects the values of the people who live here.”
Wise said SCT’s marketing reach had more than 14 million ad impressions last year and website traffic jumped 39 per cent, reaching 2.4 million pageviews. She said there were also 221,000 business referrals to local businesses.
“Those are real customers finding places to stay, eat, shop and explore,” said Wise. “We also estimate $256 million in direct visitor spending in the Sunshine Coast region over 12 months.”
Wise said SCT also looks closely at the commercial accommodation sector, monitoring room revenues. She said traditional room revenues were up 10 per cent over the previous years and the focus is building on the shoulder season and off-peak season, which more than doubled the rate of growth of the peak season.
SCT’s media relations program earned 57 media features, including the New York Times and Amazing Race Canada, according to Wise. She said a TV crew was brought to Powell River to film an episode of a show called Carpe Diem, which will air in the coming weeks.
Wise said challenges include ongoing changes to short-term rental regulations, locally and at the provincial level, which have created some challenges in terms of inventory for clients such as families who want to stay in multi-bedroom facilities.
“This has led to some compression during peak season, especially when there are major festivals and events,” said Wise. “Fewer places for visitors to stay can have a real ripple effect on businesses like restaurants and shops.
“Second, there is transportation. It’s no secret that ferry access continues to be a barrier for our industry. Last summer, in our visitor survey, 43 per cent of visitors told us they had to adjust their travel plans because of issues with BC Ferries.”
The third challenge is industry collaboration, said Wise, keeping everyone rowing together in the same direction. She said SCT works across two regional districts (qathet and Sunshine Coast), three municipalities and hundreds of independent businesses and organizations.
“Our strength as a destination comes from working together as one,” said Wise. “That takes constant work, and the more fragmented we are, the less effective we will be, and end up duplicating efforts and working at cross-purposes. Marketing costs continue to rise while we continue to face stiff competition from destinations with larger budgets.”
Wise said that looking ahead, the focus is on keeping the momentum going and making sure tourism continues to deliver value year-round, and not just in the summer months.
“We’ll keep rolling out key parts of our new five-year financial plan, which includes growing sectors like small meetings, retreats and corporate travel,” said Wise. “We’ll be looking more at sport tourism and film production, and opportunities for us to influence and bring new business in those areas, all of which are a great fit for our communities and will help diversify the visitor economy from leisure travel.
“We’ll also continue to invest in further data and research programs so we can better understand who is visiting, how and why and when, and how we can serve them better.”
Wise said everything SCT is going to do in the coming year ties back to the goals of supporting local businesses and building a strong and sustainable tourism economy that represents the values of the communities they represent.
She said she was requesting a letter of support from city council to support SCT’s application to the province to renew the municipal and regional district tax (MRDT) program, which is the additional hotel tax, currently at two per cent. She said in addition to renewal of the tax, the SCT board unanimously voted for an increase from two to three per cent, as allowed by the province. Wise said this is a tax paid by visitors on their overnight accommodation and it has been the primary source of tourism funding for the past decade. She added that a letter of support from city council is a required part of the process, as well as from the other local governments SCT works with.
City councilor Earl Almeida made a motion that staff put the MRDT letter of support on the August 19 council meeting agenda. The motion passed unanimously.
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