People in communities around the province are looking forward to welcoming even more visitors to their local events and festivals in the year ahead, with marketing support from the Province of B.C.

The funding will help promote two dozen events — from Vancouver’s Just for Laughs and Prince George’s Coldsnap music festival to ski, snowboarding, lacrosse and taekwondo championships around B.C.

“British Columbians have created events and festivals which deliver world-class entertainment for visitors and locals alike,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture. “Our government is supporting communities and local tourism by providing important funding that will help make these events even more successful. This funding will help attract even more people to enjoy the great experiences our province offers.”  

This year, the Province has awarded more than $1.98 million to 35 events and festivals in communities throughout B.C. This includes funding for the 24 new events and festivals announced on Sept. 9, 2018.

The funding is provided through the provincial government’s Tourism Events Program. This program provides marketing support in order to draw visitors from outside of the province to B.C.’s tourism experiences. These events generate tourism and economic impact throughout British Columbia and inspire people from around the world to visit B.C.

Applications for Tourism Events Program funding are accepted twice yearly. The application window is currently open through Oct. 31, 2018, for events taking place between May 1, 2019, and April 30, 2020. Interested parties can view the application criteria and submit applications online: http://ow.ly/kL1Y309KOWo

Quick Facts:

• Tourism is an important economic driver for B.C., generating more than $17 billion in revenues in 2016.
• Tourism is one of the province’s biggest employers. More than 133,000 people work in the industry. That means one in every 16 B.C. workers has a job in tourism.
• Tourism is growing in importance for B.C’s economy. In 2016, the industry contributed $7.9 billion in added value to the province’s gross domestic product. This is an increase of over 5.6% over the previous year.
• The Government of British Columbia invests over $123 million in the tourism sector annually.
• In 2017, 5.7 million international visitors came to B.C. — a 3.3% increase (181,700 more visitors) over 2016.

Learn More:

For more information on the Tourism Events Program, visit: http://ow.ly/kL1Y309KOWo

A backgrounder follows.