A new exhibit promoting heritage sites in B.C. is now on display at the Vancouver Convention Centre, announced Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson at the official opening today.

The display celebrates the province's rich history and offers visitors intriguing insights into B.C.'s cultural development. It joins other exhibits that feature First Nations history and art creating a gallery that showcases British Columbia's Aboriginal and heritage features.

The display features 11 of B.C.'s provincial heritage sites: Barkerville - B.C.'s Gold Rush town, Fort Steele Heritage Town, the Grist Mill at Keremeos, Historic Hat Creek Ranch, Kilby Historic Site, Point Ellice House, Cottonwood House, Craigflower Manor, Craigflower Schoolhouse, Emily Carr House and Historic Yale.

The exhibit features QR codes that connect visitors to more information on each of the showcased properties as well as to both the Aboriginal Tourism and Heritage Tourism websites.

The exhibit is in the concourse of the east building of the Vancouver Convention Centre. The Vancouver Convention Centre sees approximately 790,000 visitors annually and the display's location will help promote our province's heritage sites to those visitors.

These heritage sites play a significant role in B.C.'s tourism sector, attracting over 200,000 visitors annually from around the globe. These sites create jobs for British Columbians, revenue for local communities, and provide residents and visitors a personal connection to the roots of British Columbia.

Quotes:

Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training Pat Bell -

"B.C. offers an abundance of extraordinary tourism opportunities throughout every region of the province. This display will further promote our province's intriguing history while at the same time contributing to our growing tourism sector."

Minister of Forests, Lands and Resource Operations Steve Thomson -

"B.C.'s heritage properties are an important part of our history and also help to generate local revenue and jobs in communities throughout the province. This new display will help promote B.C.'s historic jewels to hundreds of thousands of visitors each year."

Quick Facts:

• There are 23 provincially owned heritage sites in B.C., of which 11 are open to the public and operated by third-party community agencies under Heritage Sites Management Agreements.
• Budget 2012 includes a commitment of $21 million over the next three years for the maintenance and operation of provincial heritage sites.
• The allocation for 2012-13 is $7.046 million, which will create an estimated 96 direct, full-time jobs.
• The Barkerville, Fort Steele and Fraser Valley heritage properties alone contribute approximately $32 million each year to the province's GDP, create more than 625 full-time jobs and raise more than $14 million in taxes for all levels of government.
• In 2011, the tourism sector employed 126,700 British Columbians, generated over $13.4 billion in revenue for tourism-related businesses and contributed over $1.13 billion to provincial government revenues.

Learn More:

For more information on B.C.'s provincially owned heritage sites, visit: http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/heritage/historic_sites/site_list.htm

For more information on B.C.'s provincial tourism strategy, visit: http://www.jtst.gov.bc.ca/tourismstrategy/documents/MJTI_TourismStrategyReport_FNL.pdf

Contact:

Brennan Clarke
Public Affairs Officer
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
250 356-5261