From March 7th to 9th, the annual BC Tourism Industry Conference will take place at the Delta Hotel in downtown Kelowna.
The conference, which has been a tradition for over 20 years, brings together business owners and shareholders involved in BC's tourism industry for three days of workshops and keynote speeches, with highlights including features on Indigenous tourism and economic transformation.
The province's tourism industry is worth $15 billion dollars, however, it does not come without its challenges.
Walt Judas, the CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of BC appeared on the Early Edition with Phil Johnson, and outlined some of the obstacles that the BC tourism industry faces today.
"This past summer, you had flooding in many areas of the Okanagan, and then the intense wildfires," said Judas. "How do we deal with these issues in the future - this whole issue of climate change and what it's doing to various regions."
Despite the environmental difficulties of the past year, much of the tourism in BC remains strong, such as the wineries and fruit orchards. One of the fastest growing sectors of the industry happens to be the Indigenous tourism that BC has to offer.
"No question - Indigenous tourism has long been lauded as our best opportunity, not only as a province but as a country," said Judas. "And BC has really led the way. We probably have a more mature Indigenous tourism industry than most of the other provinces."
Anyone with an interest in the BC tourism industry is welcome to attend the three-day conference, and more information can be found at http://www.tiabc.ca.