To officially mark the beginning of Tourism Week in Canada, Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour, visited the Mount Robson Visitor Centre where the Province is investing $325,000 in one of the Rocky Mountains’ busiest visitor sites.

The visitor centre is a go-to location for visitors from around the world as they tour Mount Robson Provincial Park, the second oldest park in British Columbia’s provincial park system. It provides a range of services, including a very knowledgeable staff at the front desk.

The Provincial funding is going toward improvements that are expected to be complete by March 31st, 2017. Some of the updates include:

• Refurbishment of public washrooms, including plumbing, vanities, fans, lighting, tiling, flooring and painting.
• Renovations to janitorial room, staff washroom, staff lunch room.
• Replacement of main public entry doors, including automatic electric door openers.
• New heating, air conditioning systems for the centre.
• Exterior painting of centre.
• Roof drain improvements and modifications.
• Lower level viewing deck enclosure upgrades.
• Improvements to main service area.
• Renovations to parks office space

The Mount Robson Visitor Centre serves as a gateway to British Columbia because of its location near the provincial border and the improvements will ensure that visitors access information and a positive first impression of British Columbia.

(flickr.com)

Quote:

Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour –

“For many visitors to B.C., a visit to Mount Robson Provincial Park, which includes the highest point in the Canadian Rockies, is the highlight of their trip. The Mount Robson Visitor Centre is a valuable source of information for them to learn more about the local area and B.C. The Province is pleased to provide funding to ensure their stop at the visitor centre is on par with the world-class tourism experience that British Columbia is known for.”

Quick Facts:

• Mount Robson Provincial Park is part of the UNESCO Canadian Rocky Mountains World Heritage Site.
• Over the past five years, BC Parks has invested close to $60 million in park facilities.
• B.C. provincial parks receive more than 21 million visits annually.
• The Province invests more than $90 million annually in the tourism sector across every region to grow and market the sector.
• In 2015, 4.9 million international visitors came to B.C. – a 7.9% increase compared to 2014.
• Through the BC Jobs Plan, British Columbia is growing its tourism sector by establishing an integrated marketing approach, in partnership with tourism marketing organizations.

Learn More:

For more information on BC Parks: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/

2015 BC Tourism Statistics: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2016JTST0029-000269

Tourism Week in Canada info: http://tiac.travel/About_Tourism_Week.html

BC Jobs Plan: http://engage.gov.bc.ca/bcjobsplan/economy/tourism/